Castling
by Andrew Joshua Talon
Summary: Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is not mine. I am not writing this for profit. Please enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

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_**KING**_

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The void that constituted Leliel was so alien, so empty, so dark... Shinji was half-convinced he was seeing everything _but_ nothing. It felt far more freakish than fighting building-sized monsters in desperate melee. At least there, things were relatively simple: Giant monster, kill.

Here though... Shinji didn't even know _where_ here was, or if there even _was_ a here.

_Great... Maybe Asuka gets the last laugh,_ he thought glumly. _Misato... Rei... Mom... Dad... I'm sorry everyone._

He at least had a sense of movement, but that was pretty much it-Intertia carried over from entering the Angel. Otherwise, all around him was nothing but darkness. It almost seemed to take a life of it's own, as though something was always just out of the corner of his eye. But when he looked, it vanished. He shivered, and rubbed his arms.

_I did want to go into space someday, but doing it through an Angel? Not my idea of... Wait..._ He pulled down his visor and turned it on, tapping into the sensors of his Eva. Just enough power to get a reading.

The Eva's sensors were bouncing off something else in the perfect darkness-Something physical. And the time between the sending out of the sensor beam, and it's return, were getting smaller and smaller with every passing second.

_Something's coming... But what?_ It was hard for the computers to get much off the object approaching him, but it was at least the same size and general shape as an Evangelion. He checked his power reserves.

_Not much, but just enough to send a signal... Wonder who jumped in after me._ Maybe Asuka had decided to go in after him. Or Rei. Or...

"Evangelion Unit 01, to unknown Unit. Respond, over," he signalled. He shut down everything but the communications system, and waited, acutely aware of his breathing in the entry plug. It took a few moments, but his receiver got some static.

_"...Unit... Zero... Who...?"_

"Damn..." Shinji risked a little more power. "This is Unit 01 to unknown Unit. I say again, please respond."

It took a little longer, and the signals bouncing back indicated that whatever was out there was almost close enough to be seen visually. Shinji decided on caution-For all he knew, he was just hallucinating.

_"... This is Unit 01, who are you?"_

Shinji blinked. "Who am I? Who are you?"

_"Shinji Ikari..."_

Shinji was stunned for a second. He didn't know what this was, but he wouldn't get any more answers just sitting there in low power mode. He brought the Evangelion back online, mindful of the three minute counter running. The entry plug shifted around him, displaying the darkness he'd come to expect, with the green glow of his Evangelion's various luminous components casting useless light into the abyss.

The light, however, wasn't the only one. Shinji's jaw dropped as he got a good look at the approaching unit. It was glowing green, just as his was, just enough to allow him a look at the silhoulette of the Evangelion, and the tall crash horn that emerged from it's helmet.

"No way...!"

Between the two powered-up Evangelions, space seemed to ripple and wobble, like Jell-O struck by a spoon. As though peeking out, something red could be occasionally seen.

_"THE CORE!"_ Both Shinji Ikaris shouted. Both drew their Progressive knives, and both unleashed their AT Fields to full power. The deep red of Leliel's core shown faintly in the abyss, as two gigantic hands grasped it.

_"DIE!"_ Both Shinji Ikaris again shouted in unison, their Progressive knives stabbing forth. As one, the two Evas pierced the very heart of their foe, cutting deep into it. It split apart, and with an unEarthly scream it burst into red light. The other Unit 01 vanished from view, leaving Shinji alone as the world turned red.

The plug went dark as the timer ran to zero, but not before Shinji was able to get a look at blue sky overhead-Just a glance, but more than enough to reassure him he'd gotten home. He took deep breaths of LCL, and felt a giddy smile on his face.

"That... That was... Wow..." He sighed, leaning back in his throne. He laughed. "Oh man..."

He couldn't wait to tell everyone about this. Asuka would mother hen him as usual, and tell him he was an idiot, sure, but it was worth it to know she cared. Rei would just give him that little strange smile of hers, just happy to see him alive. Touji would probably give him a high five.

And Dad, and Mom... Well, that would probably be the best part.

"Thanks Mom," he said, patting the side of the entry plug. "We're home now... We're finally home."

* * *

_**ROOK**_

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Power was soon restored, enough for Shinji to get a look around himself. The entire area was covered in blood, doubtless from killing the Twelfth. He felt a stab of guilt at how long it was going to take to clean it all up, before a holo-window opened in front of his face. Misato was standing on the Command Deck, a smile on her face.

_"Good work, Shinji! You took it out! We thought we'd lost you there for a while. What's your status?_"

"Ah, fine Misato," Shinji replied, a small smile on his face. "It was a little weird there for a while, but uh... I'm fine."

_"Good. Because you're definitely in trouble this time,"_ she continued on. _"Especially with Asuka."_

Shinji sighed. He could always rely on her to be upset with him. He didn't _mean_ to kill the Angel first! But it was what he had to do to get out. He was so concerned with his guilt and shame he totally missed everything else Misato was saying.

_"-like a mother hen, I swear... Shinji? Shinji, read! Over!"_

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sorry Misato," Shinji said quickly. Misato gave him a wry look.

_"Return to base. You'll be debriefed and tested, standard drill."_

"Right, right," Shinji replied. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Unit 02 behind him, the source of the new power. "Huh? Asuka?"

_"I wouldn't bother, Shinji. Her communications system is out at the moment,"_ Misato said. She looked faintly amused. Shinji wasn't sure why, but habit compelled him to guide his Eva to the nearest elevator. Unit 02 stared after him. He could only imagine that Asuka was cursing up a storm inside her plug, and decided it was probably for the best he couldn't hear a thing from the volatile Second Child.

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_**ROOK**_

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Shinji emerged from the entry plug after going through a power-down checklist with the Bridge Bunnies. They had looked a little concerned when he asked how to do a particular item on the list. He wasn't sure _why_-They'd handled all that before.

He stretched, and leaned against the railing of the catwalk. He really wanted to avoid the debriefing, and avoid seeing Asuka. Heck, he didn't want to see anyone right now...

"Shinji."

"Ah?" Shinji Ikari could count on one hand how many times he could remember being hugged. Right now, he could feel what might be the one to require adding a second finger to the count. He turned in the embrace, plugsuit rubbing against plugsuit, and his eyes seemed to want to pop out of his sockets.

"Ay-Ayanami?"

The blue haired girl smiled at him and released him from the hug. "I am glad to see you again," she said. "You were lost for several hours... But you are all right. That is what matters."

"I...?" Shinji tried, but he felt like he was going into shock.

_**"IKARI!"**_ Bellowed a familiar voice. Rei stepped back, still smiling, as Asuka stormed up to the catwalk. Shifting from confused to fearful, Shinji took a step back as the furious redhead got in his face.

"A-Asuka, I-"

"Ikari! What the hell was that?" Asuka demanded.

"Well I-I couldn't-"

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you're deaf as well as _stupid_," she snarled. "You just _jumped in_, no listening to me, OH NO, of _course_ not!"

Shinji's jaw dropped, as things began to make increasingly less and less sense. "I-What are you-Asuka I-"

"That's _Captain_ Shikinami to you, you braindead excuse for a piece of shite!" Asuka growled. She turned to Rei, who calmly stood at military attention. "Lieutenant Ayanami! What exactly did I order at the start of the engagement?"

"That all Evas were to wait for your orders to enter the Twelfth Angel's null field," Rei dutifully replied.

"And what did Lieutenant Ikari do?"

_Lieutenant Ikari?_ Shinji thought, holding up his hands.

"H-Hey, hang on a second I-!"

"Entered the Twelfth Angel's null field... And destroyed it," Rei added. Asuka's beautiful blue eyes flashed in anger, and she looked back at Shinji.

"I swear to _God_ if I have to repeat myself another time, I will _tattoo_ the words 'Listen to Asuka, I will obey Asuka's orders, Asuka IS GOD' on the insides of your eyelids. You got that, Ikari?"

"Asuka-!"

"Hit the showers, NOW, then report to the debriefing room," Asuka growled. She shot Rei a deadly look, which moved the First Child to walk off the catwalk. Her glare shifted to Shinji, which pushed the Third Child into a jog.

"MARCH!"

"I-I-Yes! Yes!" He said quickly as he rushed to catch up to Rei. Rei glanced over at him with a little smile. That just compelled him to run faster.

_What was that all about?_ He thought, beseeching whoever or whatever might be missing. As expected though, he got no reply.

He sighed as he entered the shower, quickly scrubbing off the disgusting scent of LCL. He went to his locker while drying off, and opened it up to retrieve his clothing. He blinked in some confusion as he looked over his garments-Not school clothing, but a NERV military uniform.

_A uniform...? And what's this...?_ He pulled out a jacket and examined it. The jacket itself was gray with a stiff collar and broad darker gray shoulders. Orange trim decorated the trim of the collar and across the shoulders, but it switched to blue trim on the lapels to match the cuffs. Large "01s" were displayed on his shoulders, with "NERV" and a name tag on his right breast. He looked back and forth between the jacket and the locker, as though willing his usual clothes to reappear.

When they did not, Shinji shook his head.

"If this is a joke... It's not funny," he murmured. He pulled on his clothes and headed out. Sure, they were nice clothes, but making all these changes without telling him... And Rei and Asuka's behavior...

Just what was going on?

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_**KING**_

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"And... Throttle down to safe," Shinji finished. "Safeties on, docking locks sealed. Shutdown complete."

Unit 01 shook slightly as the massive support structures that held it up and secure within the hanger closed. He looked around at the holoscreens, double checking everything. He looked over at the one showing Central Dogma and smiled.

"We're good right?"

Maya Ibuki, the pretty Bridge Bunny and Dr. Akagi's assistant, gave him a smile in return, though it seemed a bit nervous.

_"Yes Shinji, we're good. We could have handled all that ourselves."_

"Hey, I have to work for a living right?" Shinji asked. He stretched, and hit the release. THe entry plug opened up, and Shinji came out, rolling his shoulders. He looked around, saw the crew personnel going to work, and smiled and waved.

"Hey, Chief! Hope it's not too much work for you!"

The chief looked up at Shinji in some confusion, but being polite, waved back with a smile.

"Never too much for us!"

"I didn't even get hit this time, just... Swallowed," Shinji called back. "Not even chewed!"

The chief and other workers were now staring at Shinji. It was as though the air was being filled with awkwardness-two parts per million and rising. Shinji's hand slowly stopped waving, and he put it down. He coughed.

"Right, well... Can't all be winners, right?" He said with a smile. There was some more coughing, which echoed in the vast hanger. "... Okay then!" He turned and headed off, rubbing the back of his neck. Shinji grimaced.

_What, did their cats die? Did they lose the ball game against Unit 02's techs?_

He saw Rei making her way to the pilot locker rooms, and ran to catch up to her.

"Hey! Hey, Rei, hang on!"

The albino girl turned around and regarded him with just a hint of emotion.

"Hello Ikari..."

Shinji skidded to a halt in front of her.

_Ikari? Geez... Formal... Maybe I upset her? How could I have done that...? Aside from jumping into the Ange-Oh. Right._

"Ah, look. I'm sorry for jumping into the Angel. I kind of had to, but I didn't mean to worry you," Shinji said. Rei continued to stare, her expression just softening slightly. Taking this as progress, Shinji grinned.

"But you know me, Wonder Idiot and all that..."

Rei was silent. Shinji cleared his throat.

"... Ah, look... If it helps, I always intended to come back," he said. "I'm not going anywhere. I promised, remember?"

"You did?" Rei asked, concern entering her eyes. It was still detached, but enough for Shinji to see.

"Yeah! Of course I did!" Shinji returned. "And I'm making it again!" He grasped Rei's hand and squeezed it. "So don't worry about a thing, okay?"

Rei looked more confused, and conflicted. Shinji stared back, and slowly lowered his hand.

"Ah... You don't have to worry... At all," he said.

"Baka-Shinji!"

Shinji sighed, and turned around. "Hey Captain..."

Asuka growled as she strode up to them. "Captain?"

"Uh... Yes?" Shinji asked, looking her right in the eyes. Asuka's fists clenched and unclenched, before she snorted.

"Well, I guess you just pulled out another win through luck, like you _always_ do, Baka-Shinji," Asuka huffed.

Asuka seemed genuinely angry. He was used to her being upset with him for a lot of reasons-Charging into battle, not listening, that one time Rei dropped purple hair dye into her shampoo and he "didn't see anything"... But she was usually screaming at him then. This though...

Was she... Bitter? Jealous? What?

"Ah, well, ya know, I promised to come back," Shinji said. "Rei kind of forgot that. Guess you did too?"

"Right, because I care whether you live or die, right Third?" She huffed. She turned and stomped off. "If you're in a good enough mood to mouth off, you're in a good enough mood to cook! So let's get home already!"

Well, at least that was the same. Shinji saluted her.

"Yes ma'am," he replied. Asuka shot a look at him over her shoulder, and stormed back to grab his collar. "Urk!"

"Are you mocking me?"

"No! Nonono! No!" Shinji said quickly. "Seriously! Not in the least!"

"Good!" She huffed, letting him go and heading back off like a flame following a fuse. Shinji tugged at his collar and looked over at Rei.

"What's with her?"

Rei stared for a few moments before responding. "Pilot Soryu is... Volatile," she said at last.

"You mean Shikinami, right?" Shinji asked. Rei stared. Shinji stared back. The two continued this until Shinji had to blink.

"Uhhh... Whatever you say?" He said. He gave her a quick hug and peck on the cheek, before heading off. "Later."

If he were to turn around, he would have been privileged to see the first time in this universe Rei Ayanami actually blushed.

* * *

_**ROOK**_

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Shinji arrived at the debriefing room. He let out a little sigh of relief when he saw that Misato, Dr. Akagi, and Maya were sitting there, looking expectant. Asuka was also sitting there, and shot a scowl at Shinji, while Rei sat next to her with a warm but reserved expression on her face.

In addition to these familiar faces, an unfamiliar woman with short, straight violet hair and smile wrinkles around her brown eyes sat to the right of the head of the table, giving him a warm, relieved smile. Shinji felt his throat constrict a little-The look she was giving him wasn't something he was used to, at all.

None of this was what he was used to, to be honest.

"Well? Sit down Ikari," Asuka growled. Shinji quickly sat down. Part of him wished he could have sat somewhere less exposed-At the bottom of the table, everyone would be looking down right at him. He shrank in his chair, and looked around.

_What's everyone waiting for? Why are we just-?_

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar voice said behind him. Not behind him as in from the door, but _right behind him._ Shinji jumped, and looked over the back of his chair. His eyes widened.

_Father?_

Gendo nodded to his son, circled the table and took his seat at the head. He sat down, looking at Shinji not with his usual cold expression but something... Different. Unreadable.

"Well, let's begin," Gendo stated, looking around at his staff. His gaze settled last on Shinji, and the Third Child fidgeted.

Misato cleared her throat, and checked her notes. "At 0900 hours Tokyo-3 time yesterday, a Blue Pattern was detected approaching NERV. Upon visual confirmation by JSSDF recon that target did not fit matching profiles, Target was designated Twelfth Angel. Standard Encounter Protocols engaged. Units 00. 01, and 02 were scrambled while evacuation and combat preparations were undertaken." She looked over at Asuka, who scowled and looked at the Commander.

"At 1343 hours, the Twelfth Angel entered Tokyo-3 airspace. Challenge went unaccepted. Conventional attacks by automated defenses produced no reaction. When it appeared, it looked like a big black and white striped sphere. I ordered all pilots to stand by and wait for signs of hostile action. When none came, I suggested we launch an attack."

_What? That's not right,_ Shinji thought. _She wanted to attack it right away..._

"At 1345 hours," Misato said, "I ordered the Evangelions to engage at range, after neutralizing the target's AT Field. All Evas opened fire with gatling cannons."

_Pallet rifles..._ Shinji thought, his frown deepening. Ritsuko took over from that point.

"At that point, the Angel manifested itself-The sphere was in fact it's shadow, while what we perceived as the shadow below it was the actual angel. An inverted dimensional life form."

_"I_ ordered a retreat until the full capabilities of the Angel could be determined," Asuka stated, crossing her arms underneath her chest. Shinji found himself thinking how good the uniform looked on her, but quickly directed his thoughts elsewhere.

"However," Rei interjected softly, "Unit 00 was caught by the shadow, and was being consumed." She looked up and glanced at Shinji with a slightly exasperated expression. "Unit 01 then leaped right into the shadow, grabbed hold of Unit 00, and threw me out of the path of the expanding shadow."

"Despite the fact I _ordered_ you not to, to help me reel her out via her umbilical cable," Asuka added. "Which ended in Unit 01 being consumed."

"Uh... I um..." Shinji began.

"_Due to this,_" Asuka continued as though Shinji had not spoken, "when Dr. Akagi figured out the true nature of the Angel, that is, a vast null universe contained within it's event horizon, we were unable to coordinate all three Evangelions in attack on the Angel." She glared deeply at Shinji. The unknown woman finally spoke.

"Shinji, what happened inside the null space?"

Shinji coughed, and looked to the side.

"Um... Well... A lot of stuff is hard to remember. It was totally dark inside, I kept seeing things. Lots of... Very weird things," he said. "Like, I think they were hallucinations."

"Do you know how long you were in there?" Ritsuko asked.

"No. I couldn't keep track of time. I shut down everything when m-my umbilical cable was cut to conserve power, like I was told to," Shinji said.

"You were gone for over a day, Shinji," the unknown woman said softly.

"That long?" Shinji asked in shock. The unknown woman nodded. Ritsuko smiled.

"Well, on the bright side we've got plenty of data to go through from the incident," Ritsuko said. At Misato's look Ritsuko shrugged and looked studiously at her notes.

"What happened just before you emerged from the Angel, Shinji?" Misato asked.

"Uh... Well, um, I saw... I saw another Unit 01," Shinji said. "It... It was like looking at a mirror. Then, between us, I saw something red... The Angel Core. I powered up, opened up my AT Field, and used the Prog Knife to stab it."

"Outside, we tried to make contact with Unit 01, but we couldn't get any radio signals past the event horizon of the Angel," Ritsuko said. "The Angel began to expand, consuming more matter as it did. Units 00 and 02 were able to keep it at bay with AT Field repulsion."

"This just bought us some time," Misato interjected.

"The JSSDF suggested dropping all N2 mines into the Angel in order to hopefully hit the core, but this was regulated to a last resort by NERV command," Ritsuko stated. "At 1604 hours, the Angel's Blue Pattern went dead, the Angel dissolved into LCL and Unit 01 emerged."

There was silence in the conference room, and Shinji felt fear rising in his chest despite the fact only Asuka was glaring at him. He looked down at his hands, taking deep breaths.

"Given the Twelfth was destroyed without excessive property damage, or loss of life, the fact that Lieutenant Ikari violated orders is a minor offense in my view," Gendo spoke at last. He looked over at Shinji, who looked up in some shock. "A unique tactical situation. Nevertheless, unit cohesion is important. Therefore, I leave his disciplining in your hands, Major." He nodded to Misato, before nodding to Asuka. "Captain."

Misato nodded. "Until you've been cleared by the base psychiatrist, you're on standby. Take it easy for a while."

Asuka huffed, before shooting Shinji a smirk.

"Don't get too comfy, Ikari. Starting at 0500 tomorrow, your _ass_ is mine," she grinned.

"Will you be needing the paddle, Captain, or would you prefer to go in barehanded?" Misato asked softly. Asuka and Shinji's faces both turned bright red, as Maya, Ritsuko, Rei and the unknown woman laughed quietly. Gendo looked... Indulgent.

"That-I-I RESENT THE IMPLICATION!" Asuka snarled. She shot a look at Shinji. "And I won't accept any lip from you, understand?"

"N-No! None!" He said quickly.

"Good!"

Gendo leaned forward, looking around at his officers, doctors and pilots. "If there is no other business...?" There was silence. He nodded. "Very well. Captain Shikinami, Lieutenant Ayanami: You will get checked out per protocol. Doctor Akagi, Lieutenant Ibuki, see to it. Major Katsuragi? See to the After Action reports, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki will handle command of the clean-up."

Misato nodded gratefully. Now that he looked at her, Shinji could tell she hadn't gotten much sleep. He felt incredibly guilty for worrying her, and happy she had been that concerned for him.

"Dismissed," Gendo ordered. Shinji automatically rose, but a look from Gendo stilled him.

"Not you, Lieutenant," Gendo stated. Asuka walked past, and Shinji felt her hand rest on his shoulder briefly. She squeezed it, and turned her head just enough to give him a warm smile. Shinji's jaw dropped in shock, and his mind demanded he say something to her, but by the time he had drawn breath she had already left the room. He took a deep breath, and slowly turned back around to look at the head of the table, where his father and the unknown woman had been sitting at.

Now, they were both walking around the table to stand on either side of him. Shinji blinked and looked between them. The unknown woman smiled, bent down, and hugged him tightly.

"That was very brave, and very stupid," she murmured, as Shinji found himself lost in her affectionate warmth. "Don't do it again, okay?"

"Stupid and brave are the things he's best at," Gendo commented. Shinji looked between them.

"I..." He could do nothing but nod. The woman kissed his cheek and pulled back, leaving a stunned Shinji sitting there.

_She... She hugged me... Who is she?_

He felt a firm hand resting on his shoulder, and looked up to his father. He was smiling. His entire body trembled, and his eyes darted around, as though daring the true nature of this illusion to be laid bare.

"That said… Good work, Shinji," Gendo said. "I'm very proud of you."

"... Th-Thank you," Shinji whispered, his gaze locked firmly on the table ahead. _It can't be real... It can't... I must still be in the Angel..._

"Well, now that that's done," Gendo said. The woman sighed as Gendo hit a few buttons on his cellphone. Shinji started when a panel in the ceiling overhead opened up, and robotic arms lowered a series of statues. Shinji blinked at the labels of various carved figurines of assorted men.

_SEELE 01? SEELE 04? What...?_

A crochet mallet entered Shinji's vision. He looked up at his father, who held another crochet mallet. Still confused, Shinji took hold of it. He looked over at the unknown woman questioningly, who merely sighed in exasperation.

"Why can't you just stick to video games?" She asked.

"Come now my dear. Allow us our fun without your judging eyes of... Judgement," Gendo said after a moment. He glanced at Shinji with a smile. "Now, son, shall we?"

Shinji shrugged, and nodded. If this was a hallucination generated by the Angel, he didn't care anymore.

"Uh... O-Okay...?"

Gendo lifted up his mallet, over his head, and brought it down with a satisfying smash on the figurine marked SEELE 04.

"Oh no... That poor man. He had the finest nose of his generation!" Gendo spoke melodramatically. Shinji felt his jaw lower, and it just refused to go up as Gendo smashed another figurine. He looked over at Shinji and smiled.

"Don't let me have them all, Shinji."

Shinji looked over at the figurines, shrugged, and smashed a squat figure. The brittle material came apart underneath his blow... And a small smile emerged on Shinji's face.

Father and son smashed the figurines, twelve in all. Gendo made funny comments on each one, ellicitng actual laughter from his son. He stopped Shinji from smashing the largest one until the very end-The image of an ancient man in a wheelchair, eyes hidden by a visor.

"Your dick hasn't worked since the Industrial Revolution!" Gendo shouted, slamming his mallet into the side of the figurine and damaging it. Shinji hefted up his mallet and slammed it down hard onto the figure.

"And-And you look like a geriatric cyclops!" Shinji added. Gendo chuckled, another sound Shinji had never heard before but found himself craving deeply.

"Well... Until the next time," Gendo said. He pushed another button on his phone, and robotic arms came down to clean up the mess. The unknown woman sighed again, shaking her head with a fond expression on her face.

"You will never change," she said.

"If I did, your life would be dull," Gendo said with a smile. He patted Shinji on the shoulder again, and moved around him to embrace the woman. She kissed him, and Shinji found his jaw once again dropping to the floor.

He thought he couldn't be any more shocked, but this? And why did some small, unknown part of him seem to define what he was seeing in just one word, "ew?"

"Mmm... Get to work, Commander," the woman said with a smile. "I'll handle Shinji."

"Just don't let Ritsuko molest him," Gendo said. "She's probably marinating at the prospect of all that data to go through..." He glanced at Shinji, who turned bright red at the implication. The woman elbowed him playfully, and with a last smile, Shinji's father left the room.

Shinji found himself looking everywhere-From the woman to the door to the crochet mallet in his hand. The woman's expression became one of concern.

"Shinji? What is it?"

"... I..."

"You've been so quiet…" The woman continued, eyes studying him with the intent to heal, not harm. It just made this so much more difficult.

He couldn't just lie to her though. Not this woman who looked at him like… Like a mother might.

"This... I didn't expect… _Any_ of this."

The woman frowned. "Expect what?"

Shinji took another deep breath, and summoned as much courage as he possibly could.

"Well...I don't know how to say this but... I don't know who you are."

* * *

_**KING**_

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His father had informed Shinji, quite bluntly, that modesty would have to be sacrificed for the sake of piloting Eva. Shinji had learned that he hadn't been exaggerating. Ritsuko called him in for thorough physical exams at least eight times a month, and there were frequent nude synchronization tests involving all the pilots. Asuka always bore it stoically, as the good officer she was. At least she tried-The command staff and Rei and Shinji enjoyed doing little things to make her blow her cool.

Point was, he was no stranger to nude examinations, especially when they involved Ritsuko. However, the air of awkwardness was new. Ritsuko was doing her job without as much as a saucy little smirk. Maya assisted her, professional as usual but she at least usually blushed or giggled for his benefit… Well, that's what he told himself anyway. And Misato was watching behind glass, looking anxious. That wasn't unusual, but still. He was fine! He was in one piece! She shouldn't have been so upset: Overtly, anyway. She saved her anxiety release for when they got home.

Clearly, someone had to lighten the mood around here. If nobody else was willing to do it...

"So," he said with a theatrical sigh, "Couldn't wait to get me naked again, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Ritsuko asked, eyes widening in shock. Maya wore a similar expression, while Misato goggled in disbelief, like a fish in an aquarium. Shinji rolled his eyes.

"You know Ritsuko, this relationship is very one-sided," he continued. "I mean, why do _I_ have to always be naked? It doesn't seem very fair to me. I just don't think this relationship is going to work out."

Ritsuko was now staring at him as though Shinji were possessed. Maya's face was turning bright red. Misato looked caught between laughter and shock, and Shinji couldn't tell which way she'd go. With a frown, Shinji decided to press on. If he tried just hard enough, he was sure he could get them to lighten up.

"Unless you're willing to compromise. But if not, hey, plenty of fish in the sea right?" He glanced over to Maya, on the other side of the examination table. He treated her to a charming smile. "Hey Maya-chan, you're willing to treat me right? I promise, I'll be the best boyfriend ever!"

"Uh..." Maya looked over at Ritsuko, her face turning even redder. The bottle blonde's jaw went up and down a few times, before she looked down at her patient-Studiously focusing on his face.

"We'll be right back, Shinji," she said. Shinji winked.

"I'll be waiting," he said in a deep, teasing tone. Ritsuko coughed, then immediately walked out. Maya followed with a look directed over her shoulder at him. He treated her to a wink as well, which she looked away at. The door closed behind them, and Shinji sighed, his roguish smile vanishing.

"Geez... What the hell is with everyone?" He muttered. It was as though they'd never heard a joke in their lives. Did everyone turn into uptight nuns while he was gone?

_Mmm... Naughty Nuns_... No! He couldn't afford to think about that kind of stuff now. Not when it seemed as though everyone around him had gone stark raving mad.

He sat up to watch Misato, Ritsuko and Maya as they argued furiously behind the observation glass.

_Wonder what they're talking about...?_

* * *

"Ritsuko," Misato began, in as calm a tone as she could manage, "what the _hell_ was that?"

"I honestly don't know what's going on!" Ritsuko protested.

"Then what _do_ you know?" Misato demanded.

"... He's not acting as he normally does, and I don't know why, _that's_ all!" Ritsuko sighed, utterly exasperated. Misato growled.

"That's it? That's _all_ you've got for me?"

"Well, we do know that whatever reason he's acting like this, it's not a result of Angel contamination," Maya interjected. "He's clean."

"So why is he suddenly all smiles? Why is he _flirting_ with you?" Misato snarled, and Ritsuko concluded rightly that her plan involving the N2 mines was also fueling Misato's current mood.

_She's gotten so attached to him..._

"Well, um, it's possible that due to the intense sensory deprivation he underwent in the Dirac Sea, that... That something happened to him, psychologically," Maya quickly tried to save her mentor. Misato shot her a look.

"Sensory deprivation?"

"Some test subjects have experienced intense psychological shifts following sufficient sensory deprivation," Ritsuko quickly explained. "It's rare, but Shinji might be among those who would benefit from such an experience."

"You're telling me being in that Angel... _Cured_ his issues?" Misato asked. Ritsuko shrugged.

"Until we know more... That's the best theory we've got."

Misato turned and looked at Shinji through the glass. The boy cheerfully waved at her, and smiled. She awkwardly returned both. Ever since she'd met Shinji, she'd wanted to see him smile, be happy, be free of Eva without worrying...

But to see it like this, without explanation... The whole thing just felt wrong.

_Shinji... What happened to you?_

Maya stepped between the two women, and gave her usual encouraging smile.

"Still... At least we got him back. That counts for something, right? Sempai, we can go over the data from Unit 01, maybe we can…"

* * *

"... Sempai, Major, you know the rules! You must settle this in the Jell-O Ring! One hour! Bring your bikinis!" Shinji murmured in time with Maya's lip movements.

Times like these he really wished he'd learned how to read lips. Still, he could have fun right?

_Okay… Everyone's really concerned, acting strange, and surprised I can handle myself. So… Angel hallucination? _

Didn't seem likely. On the other hand, that might be what the Angel wanted him to think. How could he tell reality from illusion?

Then again, if the Angel was trying to make him think he'd already killed it with an elaborate illusion, you'd think it'd have done a better job. Reading his mind, figuring out how everyone was… It couldn't even do that properly.

Either the Angel was getting a lot of stuff wrong, or something else was going on. He wasn't sure how he could figure out if it was an illusion or not, but if it wasn't, then what _was_ going on?

_Argh, this is driving me nuts!_ He thought with a grimace. Shinji was used to doing things. Sitting around like this was antithetical to who he was.

He watched the women as they continued to debate and talk, and tried to think of a way to slip out of the examination room unnoticed, when…

_Rrrrrrrr…_

All three women looked up at him. Shinji coughed, adjusted the small towel covering his modesty, and offered an apologetic smile.

"Ah, sorry… I haven't eaten in… A while," he called out. "Can I at least get some lunch?"

The three women exchanged glances, before Misato nodded. She smiled at him as she pressed the intercom.

"_Of course Shinji. It's been a long day for all of us, too."_

"Great! Messhall then! I'm starving," Shinji said.

_And then maybe I can figure out what the hell is going on…_

_

* * *

_

_A little experiment I'm trying out. If you want more, review away._

_Author's Note: Chapter edited on 2/2/11 in order to make it easier to follow between the two Shinjis. King!Shinji is from the non-canon universe. Rook!Shinji is from the more-or-less canon universe. I really hate to have to spell it out for you the reader because I generally assume you guys can figure it out for yourselves, but in this case I guess I was wrong about some of them. So, because I'm a nice guy, to those who were confused: here are your signs._


	2. Chapter 2

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

_Author's Note:__ I guess the ayes have it: More of this twisted little fic, just for you. Also, a little explanation: __**ROOK**__ will denote when we're with the Canon!Shinji in the other universe. __**KING**__ will denote when we're with the Alt!Shinji in the other universe._

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* * *

_

_**ROOK**_

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* * *

**_

Technically, the ceiling above him was familiar. Technically, it was the medical examination room, with a ceiling the same right down to the number of tiles.

But all the same, it was unfamiliar. The same, but on the inside…

"Shinji, please pay attention," Ritsuko told him. He turned his head to the attractive Head Scientist of Project E, and then averted his eyes again.

"Sorry," he said softly. He looked over at the other woman: The one who had hugged him. The one who, even now, was holding his hand as she calmly watched him. he woman sighed, and looked over at Akagi, who was now furiously typing on her laptop.

"Do you have any thoughts, any possible ideas about what happened to my son?" She asked.

Two words. Just two little words, but they were pounding in Shinji's head even as Ritsuko and the woman continued to talk.

_My son. My son. My son._

"Well... He's not an Angel, and we can rule out Angelic contamination," Ritsuko replied thoughtfully. "If that was the case, he wouldn't have gotten out of his Eva before setting off an alarm. As to what happened…?" Ritsuko sighed. "I'll need more time and more data…"

"But you at least have a theory?" She pressed. Ritsuko's frown deepened.

"I might…" She turned back to her laptop, as the unknown woman looked back to Shinji.

"So, um," Shinji managed, after processing things for a bit. "So… You're my…?"

"Step-mother, yes," she said with a smile. She squeezed his hand. "My name is Saeko."

"Sorry to interrupt," spoke Gendo's voice behind him.

"AH?" Shinji cried out, almost jumping clear off the examination table. He looked between Ritsuko and Saeko-Neither woman seemed remotely surprised his father had just popped into the room without warning. "How-?"

"I'm a genius," Gendo answered Shinji's question.

"Secret passages throughout NERV," Saeko explained, rolling her eyes.

"Relax, he does this all the time," Ritsuko soothed with an amused expression on her face.

Gendo looked over at Shinji with a wounded expression. "She never enjoys letting me have any fun," he sighed.

"I see…?" Shinji asked. Gendo looked over at Ritsuko.

"I believe you said you might have a theory?"

Ritsuko was silent, before she turned the laptop to face Gendo. The Commander of NERV scanned the files. All Shinji could see of the screen were a series of technical drawings in windows overlaying a display of Unit 01.

"From the maintenance reports the crew chief just sent in, it's clear this isn't _our_ Unit 01. The repairs made, the replacement parts, some software, even the tools used-They're all different." She knit her fingers together as she slowly looked over at Shinji. "Also, this Shinji has enough differences in his blood chemistry and the physical scans to show that he is _not_ the same Shinji Ikari that was here one day ago. Differences that can not be faked, or explained as a result of Angel contamination-Which of course, there is no sign of."

Ritsuko stood up, pacing around the room like a detective about to reveal who the culprit of a crime was.

"This Shinji reported seeing _another_ Shinji and Unit 01 while inside the Angel. The Eva's own sensors confirm that this was _not _a hallucination-The radio logs have been checked, contact _was_ made with another Eva, with _precisely_ the same identification protocols as Unit 01." Ritsuko spun around dramatically, standing in front of the door. She pointed her finger at him in triumph, as though he were guilty of a crime.

"Leaving only _one_ conclusion: While in the Dirac Sea, a bridge between two different universes was created, where another Shinji Ikari and Unit 01 had _also_ entered the Twelfth Angel's Dirac Sea! Just long enough for them to switch places!"

Shinji stared in disbelief at Ritsuko, and looked back and forth between the three adults. His grim father, the smiling Ritsuko… And Saeko just squeezed Shinji's hand. She looked down at their entwined hands, and gave him a questioning look. Shinji, in turn, tightened his grip as he felt his pulse race.

_I'm… I don't belong… I'm the wrong Shinji… This is the wrong universe… I'm in another universe… I… _

He closed his eyes.

_I have a father who cares about me… A step mother… I…_

"So," Gendo said quietly, "the question remains, how do we get our Shinji back?"

Shinji opened his eyes, and looked at his… The other Gendo. He looked at Shinji for a moment, looking almost sad, before his eyes moved back to Ritsuko.

"Well, we can ask NERV-Nevada if they've made any progress with the S2 engine experiments. Other than that...?" Ritsuko tapped her chin. "I'll examine the data Unit 01 gathered while inside the Dirac Sea. We might get lucky."

"In the meantime, this information does not leave this room," Gendo stated, and Saeko nodded in agreement. "Frankly, it's too fantastic for anyone to believe, but we should keep it quiet."

"… Wh-What happens to me?" Shinji asked. Gendo looked back at him. He worked his jaw before he spoke.

"We need all the pilots we can get, and Unit 01 is the most powerful Eva in our arsenal." He rested a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "You need to fill in... Until we can send you home."

_Home?_

"Wait. Go...back?" Shinji asked softly. Saeko frowned.

"Well, yes... It's your home, isn't it?" She asked.

"I…" Shinji looked down. "I guess… It feels like there isn't much to go home to," he admitted softly.

"What do you mean?" Gendo asked.

"… Today… Today was the first time that I ever… Ever had fun with my dad," Shinji admitted. "The first time anyone welcomed me back from a mission with a hug."

A heavy silence hung in the air. Saeko gently lifted Shinji's head up, allowing him to look directly into her eyes.

"Sweetie... Tell us about your world, please."

And so he did...he told them everything he knew. By the end of it, Ritsuko was smoking rather heavily, Gendo looked even grimmer than before, and Saeko had Shinji tightly wrapped in her arms.

"Oh Shinji..." She had her eyes tightly shut, trying not to cry. Shinji hugged her back, unwilling to let go. Someone… Someone _cared._ Someone _loved_ him. He couldn't let go, it just wasn't possible when the affection was so freely offered.

"Commander, if Shinji's gone to that world-" Ritsuko began, but a raised hand from Gendo stopped her.

"He can take care of himself… And the truth is, we can't help him right now," Gendo admitted. "So, we have to rely on him."

"What… What's your Shinji like?" Shinji asked. Saeko chuckled quietly and rubbed Shinji's back.

"Oh… He's much like his father. Brave, kind…" She sighed. "Reckless, stubborn, headstrong…"

"Those are all good points," Gendo pointed out. Saeko rolled her eyes, and gave Shinji a smile and a wink.

"Hopeless around girls though. It's probably the only way to keep him in line."

"Girls?"

Ritsuko cleared her throat, and when she spoke her voice became several degrees more sultry. "Oh Shinji~…"

Shinji looked over at her, and gulped. The good doctor was giving him a warm, sensuous look as she blew on her cigarette. Her fingers slowly lowered the zipper of her blouse, just enough for a tantalizing glimpse of skin.

Shinji flustered, his cheeks burning bright red.

"Exactly..." Saeko said. She glanced over at the scientist. "Ritsuko, you can stop now."

"Mmm?" Ritsuko asked, now rather into her teasing.

"Ritsuko!" Saeko said disapprovingly. The bottle blonde pouted, zipped up, and looked to the side to smoke petulantly.

"Ah...so he's like m-me..." Shinji murmured, as Ritsuko glanced back at him with a wink.

"In the best ways..." Gendo assured him, patting him on the shoulder. Saeko shot him a look.

"He doesn't seem to have your character flaws, dear," she replied with a dry tone. Gendo huffed.

"They're not "flaws". They're 'lovable eccentricities.'"

This said while he had pulled out two paddleballs and begun paddling away, the expression on his face not changed a bit. Shinji stared.

"Of course dear," Saeko sighed, an indulgent smile on her lips.

"Um, well, y-yeah," Shinji managed. Inwardly, he had only one thought.

_...I wish my Father was like this..._

_

* * *

_

_**KING**_

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* * *

**_

"I can't believe it," muttered Ritsuko to Misato. "He's eating more than you."

"Where does he put it?" Maya murmured in awe.

Misato shakes her head. "I have no idea..."

Shinji finished off the last in a long line of sandwiches and licked his lips happily. Fries, chips, vegetables, fruit, and deserts-They'd all disappeared into his mouth. He grinned at the three women across the table.

"Man... That hit the spot!" He sighed and stretched his arms over his head. "Geez..."

"Shinji, do you eat this much all the time?" Ritsuko asked. Shinji shook his head.

"No, just after Angel missions. Besides, I was in that Angel for, what, twenty-four hours?"

"Fair enough, but still," Maya said. Shinji shrugged.

"I'll just burn it off training or something." He looked around with a frown, eyes glancing around carefully. Ritsuko and Maya exchanged looks. Misato cleared her throat.

"Shinji? What are you looking for?"

"Hm? Oh… You know."

Misato gave him a wry look. "No, I don't."

Shinji frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. "You should… This joke is really getting stupid, you know."

"What joke? What are you expecting Shinji?" Ritsuko inquired. Shinji shrugged.

"My Dad."

Once again, concerned looks were exchanged between the women. Shinji began to get seriously annoyed. He'd settled on the most likely possible theory for this situation, outside of still being inside the Angel and being in some kind of strange hallucination: His dad was playing a prank on him.

A very, very elaborate prank, sure: A little more elaborate than his eighth birthday, and far crueler, but not entirely out of the question. What the joke was, Shinji wasn't really sure, but it was in really bad taste.

_Maybe Mom's been cutting him off or something…_ He mentally thanked Ritsuko for keeping his mental processes from straying any closer to the boundary of "Truly Traumatizing".

"Your Dad?" Ritsuko questioned.

"Yeah. He hasn't shown up yet. Wait, let me guess… He's going to be all super serious. Or maybe stroking his cat while cackling evilly… Something like that?"

"No," Misato said flatly, "we'd be more concerned about him than you if he was doing that."

"Seriously? Have you _met_ him?" Shinji asked in disbelief.

"Let me get this straight. You think there's some kind of practical joke going on at your expense, and your Father is involved?" Ritsuko asked. Shinji thought about it, looking up at the ceiling of the mess hall, before he looked back at the three women.

"Yes."

"… That's your explanation?" Ritsuko asked softly. Shinji shrugged.

"Well, it's either that or I'm still inside the Angel, and this is some kind of illusion designed to get me to reveal information about NERV that might let the Angel win."

_Much_ staring. It was Maya who broke the sudden silence.

"So… We're Angelic illusions," she said slowly. Shinji scowled.

"What? It's not a _bad_ theory, right? I mean, how could I know I wasn't actually back here, or I was just going insane? Maybe the Angel just isn't good about replicating things, because its knowledge is incomplete."

Misato blinked. "Shinji… We're not an illusion."

"An illusion _would_ say that, wouldn't it?" Shinji pressed.

"Well, that wouldn't be a bad way to get information… If we were an illusion, which we're not," Ritsuko said calmly. Shinji huffed.

"Just like a hallucination to tell me what's real and not real."

"Shinji, if the Angel really was using an illusion to get inside your head, and it came up with an illusion as detailed as this, _why_ would it need to ask you _anything?"_ Misato pushed. "It would know the layout of NERV, the defenses-"

"Do you know how Angel telepathic bullshit works? I don't think so!" Shinji retorted.

"Besides, I'm fairly certain if this was an illusion designed to get you to talk, we'd be naked," Misato said with a smirk. Shinji blushed.

"H-How do you know I'm not seeing you naked right now?" He huffed.

"If you were, you'd have passed out by now," Misato said with a grin.

Shinji leered unconvincingly at all three women, managing to get a blush out of Maya before he relented and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I can't see you naked."

_Lousy Angel._

"Unless you've seen us naked before, the Angel wouldn't have much to work from," Ritsuko said. She looked sideways at Misato. The Tactical Director of NERV scowled.

"What's _that_ look for?"

"Nothing," Ritsuko said airily. "Point is Shinji, you're acting very oddly. You have to admit we're concerned."

"Good! That makes _all_ of us," Shinji said. "Look, can I just go see my father? Clear up the prank theory at least?"

"He's probably busy right now, Shinji," Maya offered. Shinji huffed.

"Sure he is… But if I can't see him, then I'm left with the Angel illusion theory." Shinji crossed his arms over his chest once more. "Which won't be refuted unless I see you all naked."

"A twisted and convoluted argument," Ritsuko commented with a small smile. Shinji shrugged.

"Yes. Yes it is. But it would be worth it."

"Flatterer," Ritsuko replied.

"Honest," Shinji protested.

* * *

In the Commander's dark dismal office, the two most powerful men in NERV were conducting their business. Not the usual philosophizing about the nature of mankind's imminent destruction induced by their own actions-That was for quieter moments. This was a more practical time.

"Returning the N2 mines to the JSSDF is proceeding on schedule," Fuyutsuki reported. He didn't need to mention that the JSSDF was once again complaining about how they were mobilized and then just as quickly not utilized. That was just implied.

"Leave that in the hands of the logistical division chief," Gendo stated. "It's not worth our time to engage directly with them."

"True, though a lessening of tensions with them might serve us better when the time comes. We are entering the latter stage of the scenario, after all," Fuyutsuki reminded his student. Gendo shook his head.

"In the grand scheme of things, their cooperation is forced by circumstances. At this stage, no amount of civility will resolve it-They would recognize it for the empty gesture it is."

Fuyutsuki nodded. Subject closed, Gendo moved onto something more relevant.

"What of the status of Unit-01?" Gendo inquired.

"It was undamaged," Fuyutsuki began slowly. "However, the maintenance chief has uncovered some…" He searched for the proper word, and decided to go with the words of the head of Unit 01's maintenance, "discrepancies."

He handed over the relevant report. Gendo glanced through it, his eyebrows rising noticeably. He looked over at Fuyutsuki, as though to confirm this was not some elaborate joke being played on him, before looking back.

"Upgraded components, more advanced sensor systems, considerable software changes, and a few minor cosmetic differences," Fuyutsuki dutifully summarized the contents. "According to the maintenance chief, these upgrades are all parts that would have been coming to Unit 01 in the coming months."

"These upgrades…" Gendo began, before his eyes fell upon a photograph in the report. He scrutinized it. "What are these markings on the entry plug?"

"Angels… With x's through them," Fuyutsuki said. "It appears to be a kill count."

Gendo felt a headache coming on. "This is not our Unit 01."

"No," Fuyutsuki said.

"… And the Third Child?" Gendo asked. His intercom chose that moment to beep, and his secretary's voice came through.

"_Commander, your son is here to see you,"_ she stated.

Commander and Sub-Commander exchanged looks. Gendo looked at the door.

"Send him in."

Shinji entered the office, eyes firmly up and locking onto Gendo's own. This gaze slipped, and for a moment Gendo thought his son's traditional lack of confidence had come into play. However, the look of disbelief and concern he saw when Shinji's gaze returned to his own overrode that.

"Geez…" He said, an English term of shock. He looked over at Fuyutsuki, a question in his gaze. Fuyutsuki was startled at the familiarity the look implied, unable to say anything. Shinji looked back at Gendo, naked confused on his face. Finally, after a moment of serious thought, Shinji's face became determined and he walked into the office.

"Okay, fine," he murmured. Shinji circled the desk to Gendo's side and stopped in front of his father, who had turned in his chair to look at him.

He then bent down just enough to embrace his father in a tight hug. Over Shinji's shoulders, Gendo's eyes widened, visible despite the orange tint of his glasses. Fuyutsuki felt his jaw drop, and tried to summon the willpower to close it back up again.

"I'm sorry if I worried you," Shinji said with earnestness in his voice neither man had ever heard before. He pulled back and smiled at his shocked father. "I mean, okay, I jumped into the Abyss. I don't argue that. I had to do it though. I mean, the fate of mankind is at stake and I can't afford to just follow orders." He smiled and shrugged. "I'm Unit 01's pilot… The future rests with me."

Shinji sighed and lightly glared at Gendo, a gentle admonishment so like his mother it almost broke Fuyutsuki's emotional control. "But… Considering how bad Asuka took it, I'm guessing you're _really_ twisted up if you're acting like this. So I'll try to be less reckless, okay?"

Gendo worked his jaw, clearly trying to find something to say. As the silence stretched on, Fuyutsuki cleared his throat to say something, anything to re-establish control over the situation. He lost it just as quickly at Gendo's next words.

"Well… Still… You did fine work," Gendo spoke slowly, unaccustomed to the words. Shinji smiled broadly.

"Thanks Dad…" He made a face. "Besides, if I died, I'd never live it down. Killed by a hole?"

Gendo slowly nodded. "It is an ignoble death."

"Yeah." Shinji smiled and patted Gendo on the shoulder. "So relax, okay? You need to stop worrying so much. If it's a problem with Mom, you need to work it out. Don't just go 'Darth Ikari'," he said, pointing at the gloomy interior of the office. "Speaking of, where is she?"

Gendo stared for a few moments. Shinji slowly nodded.

"… Okay… Look, just relax okay? I'm fine. Not going anywhere. I'll just run through some sims with Asuka and Rei tomorrow, figure out how to kill Angels the right way. You get some rest." He glared at Fuyutsuki. "You make sure he gets it."

"I…" At Shinji's Yui-like glare, Fuyutsuki quickly nodded. "Of course."

"Great. I'll see you both later then," Shinji said. He nodded to his father and the Sub-Commander, before turning and walking out the door, hands in his pockets. Once the door had closed behind him, the tension in the office released enough for normal conversation to resume.

"That… Was _not_ the Third," Gendo pronounced.

"Not your son at all," Fuyutsuki confirmed. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared intently at the closed doors. "There was no sign of mental contamination. If anything, his synch ratio has improved… _Is_ considerably better than our Third."

"How much?" Gendo asked.

"Even when not engaged in combat? Over ninety percent," Fuyutsuki replied. Gendo resumed his trademark position, despite the fact his hands were shaking slightly.

"The Dirac Sea?" Gendo asked. Fuyutsuki nodded.

"It's the best explanation I have… The different maintenance, the change in the boy." He sighed. "Unfortunately, the only way we could generate one to try and fix this is with an S2 Organ." Fuyutsuki rubbed the bottom of his chin. "And with Unit Four's coming sacrifice..."

Gendo's thoughts were on a different matter. "This boy claims to have a Mother."

"If it were Yui, we would have discovered that in our analysis of Unit 01," Fuyutsuki said, quite bluntly. "There's no reason to assume she is not in there as well."

Gendo let out a small sigh, a nod conceding the point. "Eventually he will discover that this is not his world."

"Yes… And what then, Ikari?" Fuyutsuki asked.

"At current I'm not sure...but this changes the Scenario, considerably," Gendo said flatly. Fuyutsuki couldn't help a smirk.

"No sitcom-esque antics to preserve the illusion?"

"That would just be a waste of time," Gendo said. "Inform everyone to keep to the status quo, for now." Fuyutsuki nodded and turned to head for the door.

"Convincing the Committee to return the S2 organ to us from the Americans would be difficult... But not impossible. And finding out who he considers his Mother would be useful. He seems the type to seek her out. I can see to both."

Gendo nodded. "Thank you, old friend." He turned his attention back to the paperwork he had yet to look through. "If Shinji asks, I'm on business."

There was a moment silence while Fuyutsuki walked to the door, and was only broken by Fuyutsuki's short chuckle. Gendo looked back up to see Fuyutsuki smiling.

"Just wishing I had a recorder, Ikari. Nothing more." The old man turned and exited the office. The doors shut behind him, just in time to see a flicker of shock on Gendo's face at what he had called his son.

* * *

Shinji left the office, hands firmly in his pockets. He took a deep breath and blew it out.

His father and his mother were both very physical people, and Shinji himself had inherited that. His mother had never hesitated to hug him, and his father had gotten in hugs whenever decorum would allow: Or pats on the back and shoulder, or even a friendly fist bump.

That Gendo Ikari though? That wasn't his father. He was too stiff, too quiet, and too uncomfortable with physical contact.

_That's not my father,_ he thought, rubbing the back of his neck. _So, this isn't my NERV._ He glared up at the ceiling. _Come on you fucking Angel. Show yourself! I figured it out; it's all part of your evil plan! Come on! Come on!_

… _Seriously, come on! What do I have to do to get you to own up?_

… _Well, I suppose I could strip naked and streak through NERV. If it is an illusion it's just me having a bit of fun and-_

"Ikari-san?"

"Ah?… Oh, hey Ayanami," Shinji said, looking at the blue-haired girl. She stared at him, dressed in her school uniform.

"You do not…" She seemed to visibly struggle for a moment before finishing with, "seem yourself."

Shinji let out a little laugh. "Oh I bet I don't." He smiled at her. "Ah, you know, I'm sorry about hugging and kissing you."

_For all I know she has a boyfriend in this… Whatever it is._

The illusion theory was getting less likely. The alternate universe theory, instead, was gaining a bit more ground. Sure he had never thought that would be something he'd ever think, but then once upon a time he had never thought he'd be piloting a giant robot to save humanity.

Granted, nobody had goatees but all the little differences were beginning to add up to the fact this was _not_ home.

Rei shook her head. "I… Enjoyed that," she admitted.

"Oh. Good," he said with a smile. "Then maybe I can do it more often-?"

"Baka-Shinji!"

Asuka stormed up, and Shinji was able to finally peg her emotional state-Jealousy. The way she kept looking back and forth between himself and Rei… What else could it be? His Asuka could get jealous too, but she was usually a bit more subtle about it.

_Maybe the other Shinji is a serious playboy in this universe?_ He thought.

"Hey Asuka."

"Well? Are you done whining to Daddy, or can we go home now?" Asuka demanded. Shinji shrugged.

"Ah, well, sure. I'll see you at the parking lot," he said.

"You had better be there!"

"I will, I will! Relax Cap-Uh, I mean Asuka," he said. Asuka snorted and placed her hands on her hips.

"What else do you have to do, anyway?" She demanded. Shinji sighed, and shrugged.

"I don't really know. I guess I don't have anything else to do right now…"

_Not until I figure this all out. If I do anything else out of the ordinary I might get locked up._

He looked over to Rei and smiled. "Come on Ayanami, let's go home."

Rei blinked and stared at him. Shinji responded by sighing, and grasped her hand, eliciting another blush out of her. He grinned at her, mindful of the rise in tension from Asuka nearby but paying it no mind.

"Come on! I'll cook your favorite… And your favorite too Asuka, trust me!"

"You're bringing her along too?" Asuka asked in disbelief. Shinji shrugged.

"We're all Eva pilots, right? Besides, we beat the bad guys. I say we have a party." He grinned at them both after letting Rei's hand go. "See you at the parking lot!" He turned and ran off, leaving his fellow pilots to stare after him.

Asuka looked over at Rei, as though about to ask a question… But upon realizing who she was about to talk to, rolled her eyes.

"Mein Gott… That thing must have fucked him up even worse than I thought," she muttered.

"He is… Not himself," Rei admitted.

* * *

_Understatement of the year. Still want me to try this experiment?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Castling_

_By Andrew J. Talon_

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* * *

_

_**ROOK**_

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* * *

**_

Gendo's phone rang, and he put down one paddleball to answer it. His other hand continued to resolutely paddle away even as the Commander of NERV answered.

"Ikari... Yes... Yes... I see. All right. I'll be right there." He turned off the phone and looked over at his wife and son. "I'm going to the Command Deck. You should probably go get some food and rest."

"What's going on?" Shinji asked.

"SEELE has launched another attack against Japan," Gendo informed him. "NERV is providing operational support for the defense."

"SEELE?"

"Then you don't know?" Gendo asked. Shinji shook his head. Gendo sighed.

"Then you should probably come along."

"Gendo, he hasn't had any food or rest for twenty-four hours," Saeko protested. "I think he can afford to-"

"He needs to know," Gendo said in an authoritative tone. He looked intently at Shinji. "You need to know."

"Do... Should I get in my Eva?" Shinji asked. Gendo shook his head.

"Not this time... Come on," he said. He turned and exited out the door of the room. Shinji slowly got up and followed. With a resigned sigh, Saeko followed them, Ritsuko at her side.

There were a few differences between this NERV and his, but all of them involved the people: Namely in that he could see NERV personnel of numerous nationalities, not just Japanese. The Bridge Bunnies were still the same, but Shinji could see Caucasians, Africans, and even Hispanic technicians throughout the complex working alongside the Japanese: All in the uniform of NERV.

Most of them women.

I guess some things don't change, he thought. He spied Asuka standing behind the aforementioned Bridge Bunnies, decked out in her uniform and standing primly, her hands behind her back as she surveyed the whole complex. His father came up alongside her, copying her posture. Not sure what else to do, Shinji walked up to Asuka's other side. Ritsuko went to her work station, while Saeko stood behind Aoba. The long-haired technician paid her no mind.

"Captain Shikinami… I thought you were on standby," Gendo commented. Asuka flashed Gendo a smile.

"I'm taking the rest of Misato's shift, sir. She's been up all day, she needs a rest." She looked back at the Bridge Bunnies. "Contact established yet?"

"We're just about done… There," Maya said with a smile on her face. Holographic windows opened in front of them, showing three things: An object falling through the atmosphere like a shooting star, an American woman with curly brown hair standing in another command and control center, and another viewpoint of the falling object-This time from directly below and in front of it.

"Captain Cutler, good to see you," Asuka greeted with a salute, which the woman returned.

_"Likewise NERV."_

"What's your status?" Gendo asked.

_"The target was launched twenty-four minutes ago. Monitoring sats indicate the launch point was in North Korea-Again. It's headed right for Tokyo-3. Eidolont Nemesis is prepped to intercept, Eidolon Morrigan is standing by."_

"Eidolon?" He murmured quietly. He got his questional partially answered as another holowindow opened up. It showed a view whose captions indicated it was from the command bunker where Captain Cutler was stationed. "An Eva…?"

It was a predominantly light gray and navy blue biomech that strongly resembled an Eva, though even from here Shinji could tell it was a fair amount smaller than Unit 01, and beneath the armor plating it seemed far sleeker. The head bore the most significant change from an Eva-Rather than a humanoid-like face; the Eidolon's head almost resembled a bird's-Smooth, teardrop shaped, with large, almost friendly green eyes over its sealed mouth, which had a downward-facing point on the front of its "beak". You could almost call it cute.

What you couldn't call cute, however, were the accessories. Over it's supposedly sleek body it wore heavy armor plates on it's shoulders, upper arms, lower arms and even it's thighs and calves. Upon this armor were numberous hardpoints, and on these hardpoints were missile launchers, gatling guns and cannons, making the whole thing resemble a walking arsenal.

The largest weapon was mounted on a robotic support gantry that was in turn attached to the armor between the shoulder and the neck-A massive positron rifle.

"It's a lighter, cheaper, more numerous version of the Evas. They deal with non-Angel threats so we can handle the Angels." Saeko whispered to Shinji, leaning over to keep her words in his ear alone. Shinji nodded just as Gendo spoke again.

"Operational authority is assumed by NERV. Captain Shikinami is in command," Gendo said. He nodded to Asuka, who nodded back with a pleased smile. She stepped forward as Gendo walked up to his desk above and behind the Bridge Bunnies. There he sat, much as he usually did, with Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki at his side. Shinji watched them for a moment before Asuka spoke again.

"All right. Patch me through to Nemesis."

"Yes ma'am," Hyuga replied. A moment later, a holowindow opened and the view of the inside of an entry plug was shown. Within said entry plug, thepilot smiled and waved.

_"Nemesis to NERV, Nemesis receives. How ya doin', Captain?"_ The American pilot asked cheerfully in Osakan-flavored Japanese. She had a round, cheerful face, short blond hair, and tanned skin with freckles courtesy of the sun over her nose and under her eyes.

"Just fine, Connie," Asuka returned. The girl's gaze switched from Asuka to Shinji, and her smile widened.

_"Hey Shinji! Good work with the Twelfth! Thought we'd lost you for a little while... Glad we didn't~,"_ Connie said. She shot him a flirty wink, which brought about a blush on Shinji's cheeks.

"Uh… Th-Thanks," Shinji stuttered.

"Pilot," Asuka growled warningly. "Keep your mind on the job, all right?"

_"Yes ma'am… Lemme light this sucker up. Then I'll thank Shinji... In person~,"_ she added a little purr to the end of her statement. Shinji's blush brightened, especially when he got a very good look at her body in her revealing white and black plugsuit.

_Geez…I guess Misato eats the same things Americans do,_ Shinji thought. Cutler cleared her throat, though Shinji could tell she was amused at the back and forth.

_" Constance, alright. The target is nearing its final descent, are you ready to go?"_

_"Yes ma'am!"_ Suddenly professional, Connie leaned back in the throne and looked up. Her Eidolon copied her actions almost perfectly, and raised its positron rifle up to allow her to sight through the scope. She did this without the targeting visor down, Shinji noted. Another holowindow opened to show Constance's view of the ICBM, a targeting cursor over it.

"Pilot's synch ratio?" Asuka asked.

"Sixty-nine percent. I think she's doing it on purpose," Ritsuko reported. Asuka's eyes narrowed, and the positron weapon began to power up as Constance narrowed her eyes.

_"I got it… Come on…_"

"Synch ratio is up to eighty-one percent," Maya reported.

"Positron cannon capacitor is at seventy percent. Estimated power usage for shot at optimum firing range will be fifty-two percent," Aoba added.

"Wow," Shinji murmured. It was one thing to be in combat with these people behind his eyes and ears-It was another to be standing with them and watching someone else fight.

_"Come on… Little more…"_ Connie murmured.

"Synch ratio is rising… We are at eighty-nine percent. Auto-correction systems engaged," Aoba broke in. Asuka nodded.

_"Almost… Come on… Come to mama,"_ Connie said softly, dark grey eyes focused on her target.

"Optimum firing range in ten seconds!" Hyuga warned.

"Pilot's synch ratio at ninety percent… Ninety-one… Ninety-two… Ninety-three…!" Maya counted up.

The tension increased in Central Dogma. Shinji found his fists clenching. He held his breath.

_"Just about…"_

"Firing range in five… four… three… two…" Hyuga counted down.

"Synch ratio at ninety-five! Ninety-six! Ninety seven! Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine!" Maya announced, the drama ramping up.

"Zero!" Hyuga announced, just as Constance pulled the trigger. The outside view showed the positron cannon discharge, a brilliant flash of light emerging from the barrel that shot forth up for the ballistic missile, diving for the ground. The beam met the missile in a brilliant blast of conflicting energies, and blue-colored warning windows flashed around them.

"Positron blast impacted target, plus or minus 0.0009 percent error… No effect!" Maya reported.

"Blue Signature detected! S2 organ active!" Aoba stated.

"An Angel?" Shinji whispered. He looked to his step-mother again, and Saeko whispered in his ear again.

"SEELE lobs Angel weapons our way frequently. It's to wear us down and keep us off guard for after we beat the Angels."

"Huh? SEELE?" Shinji whispered back, but at Asuka's curious look he pulled away from his mother and tried to look as unsuspicious as possible.

_"Damn,"_ Constance muttered. The blonde looked towards the camera out at Shinji. _"Sorry hon, it's gonna take longer than I thought it would. Keep my favorite dish in mind for dinner though, all right?"_

"Mind on the job, Nemesis," Asuka growled. The video screen showcasing the ICBM had been filled with white light, but once cleared and refocused it showed the missile, an AT Field flickering in front of it. The missile itself had also changed, bulging grotesquely as though some disgusting, writhing thing was trying to get out.

"Analysis of Blue Pattern… Synth S2 organ, probably Fifth-based," Aoba summed up. "Time to impact: Six minutes, forty-five seconds."

"So we'll have to neutralize the field before we destroy it. Nemesis, stand by and prepare to fire again," Asuka ordered. "Morrigan, do you read?"

_"NERV, Morrigan. Loud and clear. I'm ready for launch."_

Yet another holowindow appeared beside Constance's. Shinji's jaw dropped when he saw the orange-plugsuit clad girl sitting at the controls.

"Horaki?" He blurted out.

Hikari nodded with a warm smile. _"Hey Shinji! We'll talk after the battle, okay?"_

"Uh, sure," Shinji said. _All the girls I've met so far have been so friendly with me… I mean… This Shinji..._

_"Accelerating now!"_ Hikari reported, and the view shifted to another Eidolon. This one was almost entirely black, and rather than heavy armor plating it mounted a large, sleek backpack. The camera followed it as it ran, then the view quickly changed to what Shinji assumed was from the camera of an overhead drone.

The Eidolon ran, faster and faster over open countryside, leaning forward to minimize the air resistance as much as possible. Vapor formed ahead of the speeding biomech, moving over it like it had run into a small cloud. The vapor burst away, and sonic booms could be heard via the drone's microphones.

_She went past the sound barrier,_ Shinji thought. _Just like I did to take out Sahaquiel…_

"Morrigan has hit Mach 1… Mach 1.4… Mach 1.8…!" Hyuga informed Asuka. The captain nodded.

"Countdown to launch…" Asuka watched the monitors, doing the math in her head. "Three… Two… One… Ignition!"

The backpack on Morrigan lit up, revealing it's true nature as a powerful thruster of some sort. At the same time, large black wings sprouted from the Eidolon's back, combined with small wings that emerged from its calves. The flight surfaces were feathered, making the biomech resemble a great crow as it lifted off and screamed upwards for the heavens.

_"Airborne!"_ Hikari reported. _"Closing range with target! Get ready Constance, we're going to cut it close!_"

_"Ready Sarge!"_ Constance shouted, once again raising her main weapon to target the inbound missile. Hikari's face was a mask of intense concentration. Shinji found the tension rising again as the biomech rose, closing the distance between it and the Angel weapon rapidly.

"Impact in two minutes," Aoba warned. "Target is bursting open!"

Indeed, it did. Far above Hikari, the Angel weapon had bust open the missile container, scattering debris like a shower of metal. Now revealed, Shinji felt revulsion rise in his gut at the sight of the monstrous Angel-based weapon.

"Looks like a squid… Or a flower from Hell," Saeko commented.

"Nemesis! Interception, fire!" Asuka shouted.

_"Roger!"_ Constance shouted, and the Nemesis became a demon-Missiles left her launchers like shooting stars, and its gatling cannons sent tracers streaming into the atmosphere. The camera watching Morrigan had to zoom out to capture it's movements as it flew straight on course, not deviating a bit as Constance's fire zipped around it.

_They're both so focused,_ Shinji thought, seeing both girls in their entry plugs and feeling a sense of awe.

_"Nice shooting Constance! Closing to target!"_ Hikari shouted. "_Deploying AT Field!"_

Bright hexagons of energy danced above Morrigan and in front of the gaping maw of the Angel-based weapon for a few moments, before both vanished. Shinji tensed.

_Now Hikari's vulnerable, same as the Angel…_

"Activity in target! Forty seconds to impact!" Maya warned.

"Thirty seconds to recharge!" Hyuga added helpfully.

The tentacle horror spat out what looked like massive black seeds. Hikari visibly gritted her teeth, and Morrigan's arm rose. It was this moment Shinji saw that mounted on the arm was a small cannon.

"Blow through, blow through!" Asuka shouted encouragingly, and HIkari fired. The strange "seeds" burst apart under the cannon fire, as Hikari zipped right for the beast.

_"Stand by… Stand by… Stand by…"_ Hikari said.

"Positron cannon, ready to fire!" Aoba announced.

"Morrigan! Break now! Nemesis! FIRE!" Asuka bellowed. Morrigan's wings flared dramatically and Hikari shot out of the way of the Angel weapon just in time. Below, Constance grinned as she fired the positron cannon once more, the blast shooting forth like a bolt of lightning returning home. The shot went right through the Angel weapon, burning a hole through it's twisted interior, but a tentacle shot out and grabbed a hold of Morrigan, yanking it close just before it exploded. The feed from her cockpit went dead.

_"HIKARI!"_ Constance shouted. Shinji gasped her name as well, eyes wide.

"Blue Pattern gone, target destroyed!" Aoba reported. "We've lost contact with Morrigan!"

"Morrigan's status?" Asuka asked urgently. The various cameras monitoring the situation showed a black, winged form fall out of the smoke cloud left by the destroyed monstrosity, heading for the ground fast. "Shit… Nemesis! Intercept!"

_"Roger!"_ Constance shouted. Bolts shot out from all over Nemesis, and the bulky armor plating on the Eidolon's shoulders, arms and legs fell away, taking the numerous missile launchers, cannons and guns to the ground with it. It was like a turtle shedding it's shell, or a bird emerging from it's eggshell, leaving only the sleek, fast looking animal behind. Nemesis broke into a run, now significantly lighter, towards the descent path of it's fellow biomech. Morrigan meanwhile quickly reached it's terminal velocity as it fell like a stone.

"Morrigan is in free fall! Attempting to re-establish contact with pilot!" Maya shouted.

"Pilot status?" Asuka demanded.

"Vitals stable but mental activity indicates she's stunned! Fifteen seconds to impact!" Maya replied.

"Nemesis can intercept in seventeen seconds!" Hyuga reported.

_"Come on, come on, faster, faster!"_ Constance cried out, as her Eidolon vaulted over hills and homes and power lines as fast as it could go. Shinji's heart was pounding in his ears.

_Wake up, wake up, wake up!_ Shinji thought furiously. He was startled that the words were in Asuka's voice, as though being whispered…

He looked over at her. Asuka _was_ the one whispering it, over and over, blue eyes firmly locked onto the form of the Eidolon.

"She's not going to make it!" Aoba warned.

Shinji felt his chest hurting, his pulse racing; the black Eidolon was getting closer, closer, closer…

Something beeped.

"Pilot has regained consciousness!" Maya announced. At the last moment, relatively, Morrigan flipped over and spread its wings as widely as it could. It ignited its thrusters, white-hot jets of flame emerging from its shoulders and back. The Nemesis immediately hit the breaks, skidding along the ground to avoid plowing into the black Eidolon as it came to a landing in front of it, the ground cratering slightly under its weight and the force behind its descent.

"Morrigan… Hikari, respond!" Asuka said. A holowindow reopened, revealing a shaken, but otherwise unharmed Hikari. The brown-haired girl smiled as sighs of relief and claps rang out around Central Dogma.

_"I'm all right,"_ Hikari reported. _"Sorry to worry you."_

_"Jesus Sarge, you want to give me gray hairs?"_ Constance laughed over the radio.

_"It's a pleasure to return the favor,"_ Hikari said dryly.

_"Oh, hey! I'm not that bad!"_ Constance protested.

Asuka smiled, and her stance relaxed. Shinji let out a breath he'd been holding, and a smile came to his face as well.

"Good work, Captain, Sergeant, Pilot," Gendo said. Asuka nodded and saluted.

"Thank you sir," Asuka replied. She turned smartly to the holoscreens. "All right ladies, prepare to stand down and-"

"Blue Pattern, Synth Type," Maya reported. Asuka bit down a curse.

"Where?"

A holowindow once again opened, and a black form could be seen flying with broad, bird-like wings. A chill went down Shinji's spine as the view shifted to a closer point of view.

It was an Eva… Or some nightmarish parody of one. Like the Eidolons, it had an elongated face, but unlike them it was not remotely cute. It resembled a tube worm mixed with a shark: An eyeless visage with broad red lips over jagged teeth. Shinji grimaced.

_It… It looks like it's smiling,_ he thought. The worse kind of smile -The smile of a monster. Its broad wings beat slowly, carrying it aloft. It held no weapon in its hands but its mere form spoke of menace and of (were he given to poetry) depravity. Asuka's fists clenched at the sight.

_"Eva Unit Zero Seven to NERV,"_ Russian-accented Japanese came through, _"do you require assistance?"_ The smug female voice was soon matched to a smug, female face. She was a pale but beautiful girl with lightly glowing red eyes, sitting in the entry plug of the hideous monster. Long brown hair waved lightly in the LCL of the plug, giving the appearance of wings in the darkness.

"Identify yourself and state why the hell you're here," Asuka growled. Aoba mentioned something about military aircraft moving to intercept, but Shinji was lost in the vision of the monstrous Eva and its bizarre pilot.

_"Irina Kirova. I ask again: Do you require any assistance? We could not help but notice the Angel attack launched against you from North Korea. It's such a shame so many rogue nations have gotten their hands on our technology. Quite a mess, quite a mess."_ Her smirk deepened, teeth being bared. She almost looked like her Eva in the dim light. _"Do you require any assistance?"_

"No," Asuka said flatly. "Unless you clear out of our airspace in the next ten seconds, I'll have you shot down."

_"Oh my… Whatever happened to Japanese manners?"_ Kirov sighed.

"Nemesis. Prepare to engage," Asuka ordered. Constance nodded in her entry plug, and her Eidolon rose. Shinji wasn't sure what it was going to do, but the determined glare on her face matched that on Asuka's. He knew better than to underestimate Asuka. "Five seconds."

_"Very well NERV. I will withdraw."_ The girl still smiled. _"I look forward to seeing you another time… Quite soon… On more equitable terms. Farewell."_ The girl spared a single, piercing look for Shinji, causing a chill to run down his spine. The holowindow closed, and Unit 07 headed off. Shinji could see several fighter jet tracks nearby it, all making sure it left.

"They're getting bolder," Ritsuko commented. Asuka nodded, concerned. Shinji was just confused at the recurring mention of SEELE.

"Eidolon pilots, stand down. Return to base," Asuka ordered. She looked over at Shinji with a hard expression. "And _you_ are going to come home with me and relax. That's an order, got it?"

Shinji nodded quickly. "R-Right!"

"_See you tonight, Shinji~!"_ Constance called, waving.

"_Yeah! Me too!"_ Hikari chimed in, offering her own cheerful smile. Shinji felt his whole face turn red, and swore steam was emerging from the top of his head. Asuka sighed in disgust and looked up at Gendo.

"Commander, permission to take him home?"

"Permission granted. You're dimissed," Gendo said. He nodded to Shinji. "Goodbye Shinji. Until tomorrow."

"G-Goodbye father," Shinji replied. He turned to Saeko. "Goodnight… Mother."

Saeko smiled warmly, and gave him a quick hug. "Goodnight Shinji…" Her voice lowered. "We'll talk later. For now, just play it cool… And remember, you hate being hugged by me in public."

Shinji nodded, and very, _very_ reluctantly managed to push away from his moth… Er.

_Saeko-san… Not mother… Not…_

"Come on already!" Asuka huffed, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him to the elevator.

"Uwah! R-Right!"

* * *

_**KING**_

_**

* * *

**_

The ride home was so not different from… Home, Shinji could almost imagine he was back where he belonged. Rei sitting beside him, Asuka in shotgun, Misato driving recklessly… Yes, here he could feel, just for a moment that nothing at all had happened today aside from him kicking Angel ass and saving humanity once again.

_So now I wonder if I just imagined the whole thing,_ Shinji thought to himself. _Geez, no wonder people thought we'd all go crazy. Ordinary life out here, but back there facing giant monsters and crossing between dimensions. Calm and normal enough to lull you into thinking it was all a dream._

He looked out the window, just in time to see a meter maid dive out of the way of the Blue Renault. She rolled and flipped back up to her feet in a move that spoke of considerable grace-Especially in high heels. He turned his head to watch her through the rear window, her wide eyes the most visible part of the frazzled woman.

"I think that may have been an old friend from high school," Misato commented thoughtfully.

"Well, how _nice_ of you to try and arrange _her_ _funeral_!" Asuka growled.

_Yep. Totally normal,_ he thought.

Given they were all Eva pilots, his mom and Misato had all thought it a good idea to have Asuka, Rei and himself housed together. It would improve their relationships, professional and personal, and allow them to learn how to live on their own when they grew up. Well, became old enough.

Shinji suspected Misato's main reason for having him there was to clean up after her, cook for her, and in general act as her house bitch. He based this on the fact that despite military training, Misato and Asuka had no idea how to clean or cook. Rei also had no idea how to clean or cook, as she had grown up under the care of Ritsuko: A woman who could build a death ray out of spare parts but couldn't scrub her kitchen floor.

To be entirely honest, he was surprised Rei wasn't more screwed up.

"Home sweet home," Misato sighed happily, as they arrived at their apartment. Misato slid her ID card through the reader on the door and it opened up. She entered, happily kicking her boots off. Asuka followed, as did Rei. Shinji stopped at the entrance to the door and looked inside carefully.

"What is your problem, Third?" Asuka demanded. "It's dinner time all ready! Get cooking!"

More things that were the same. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he thought it would be.

"No problem," he said. With a warm smile he kicked off his shoes and headed off towards the kitchen, only stopping to pat Pen Pen on the top of his head. With a cheerful whistle he went into the kitchen and started up the oven as he rummaged through the cabinets.

He was thus entirely unaware of the four dumbfounded stares that followed him in. Misato sat down on the couch, as did Asuka. Rei took the last seat on the couch, as Pen Pen waddled up to stare at her. The two engaged in a staring contest as Asuka and Misato mulled over the situation.

"...He's acting strange," Asuka at last bluntly stated. Misato sighed and rubbed her face.

"Maya suggested that being inside the Angel might've helped him with his issues... Like, he was forced to directly confront his inner demons in the infinite abyss..."

Asuka stared at her. Even Rei gave Misato a look. Misato coughed and shrugged.

"Or something like that..." She groaned, and then turned her head to look over the back of the couch.

"Hey Shin-chan, can I get a-?"

A beer can flew out the kitchen door, and Misato reached up to catch the Yebisu. She blinked and stared intently at the can. She looked back at the two younger girls and shrugged with a smile.

"Personally, I'm happy he's now so…Um…" Misato thought about the proper word to use, before Asuka beat her to it.

"Well-adjusted?" Asuka asked.

"Exactly," Misato said with a smile and a nod.

"He didn't even flinch when I got in his face..." Asuka mused. "Or when I yelled at him." She looked over at Rei. "Even Wonder Doll here commented on how weird he's acting."

"Rei?" Misato asked. Rei shrugged, and reached out to pet Pen Pen.

"He is not himself," she repeated herself.

Shinji peeked out the door of the kitchen, observing their reactions. He grimaced.

_And now I know I'm in a different universe,_ he thought. Shinji returned to the oven, examining the bubbling ingredients with a thoughtful look on his face.

_Okay, acting natural isn't working. So... What would the other Shinji do in this situation?_ He stirred a pot, his other hand turning over meat cooking on the range. _Hmm... Maybe they're weirded out because I'm talking too much. Yeah! I bet the other me is a man of few words, and therefore more charming._

Shinji glanced out again and saw that Asuka and Misato were arguing as Rei just continued to awkwardly pat Pen Pen. The penguin stared at him again, with an expression he recognized: Total disbelief.

_Or maybe he's just more soft-spoken_, Shinji conceded. _Geez... For all I know, he's screwing all of them and just acting low key in public… I wonder how that would go over?_

Sure, having a harem might be awesome but, until he knew it was _that_ kind of universe, he probably shouldn't push his luck.

"Well, I'm going to change," Misato said, standing up and stretching. "Asuka, why don't you let Rei borrow some of your clothes for dinner?"

"What? Why should I let the First have any of my things?" Asuka demanded. Misato smirked.

"I just want to see his reaction to all three of us in something… Casual," she said.

"Skimpy you mean," Asuka huffed. Misato snorted.

"Look whose talking. Besides, we don't want Rei to get anything on her school uniform." She looked at Rei. "Right?"

Rei slowly nodded. Misato smiled.

"Well then, come on!" She took hold of Rei's hand and pulled her from the couch, dragging her off. Asuka followed with a scowl.

Several minutes later, Shinji heard his housemates shuffle in and sit down at the kitchen table. He turned around to smile broadly.

"Dinner's ready!" He froze for a second, as he stared at the three women. Asuka was in her usual house attire-A tank top and tight shorts, and a confident smirk was on her face. Rei was now in something similar, sitting primly with her usual perfect posture and staring at him inquisitively. Misato's clothing was just as racy, and she shot him a saucy little smile.

_Okay… Maybe the whole "screwing them all" theory is more likely than I thought,_ he silently surmised. Still, this was no different from what he normally went through with his house mates/fellow soldiers in war for humanity's survival/potential girlfriends. As such, Shinji was able to keep his cool, and keep his smile up.

"I cooked all of you your favorite dishes. I hope you all enjoy... You especially Ayanami. You look like you could use a pick me up," Shinji commented. "Don't worry, it's vegetarian."

Ayanami blinked. Shinji set out the plates of food in front of each woman, and dropped a well cooked fish into Pen Pen's bowl. He then sat at the table and smiled. "Time to eat!"

Misato's smile fell, as did Asuka's. The former leaned over as Shinji started in on his food.

"Okay, I have to admit, it is kind of creepy," she whispered into the ear of her ward. Asuka sniffed her dish, and shrugged.

"I kind of like it. He's cheerful to serve," Asuka muttered back. She scooped up a forkful of her food, and took a bite. Next to her, Misato also dug in. Both women had the thought that no matter what changed about him, his cooking ability shouldn't have changed.

They were right… Mostly. It was not only good, but…

"Mmmm," Misato moaned, deeply enough for Shinji to blush as he looked up. His guardian eagerly gobbled down her food, more sensual moans leaving her lips in between bites. A sigh of pleasure came from the direction of Asuka, and Shinji got a good look at her. She was eating slowly, savoring every bite.

"Oh God...this...this is heaven," Asuka moaned. Shinji felt a bit of sweat bead on his forehead, and he tugged at his collar.

_Oh man…_

"Any more, Shin-kun~?" Misato asked, holding up her empty plate.

"Yes… I think I want to get fat off this," Asuka added.

"I would like more." Rei's quiet statement drew stares from both Misato and Asuka, and a relieved grin from Shinji. She was lifting her empty plate to him.

"Sure Re-Ayanami," Shinji said. He took the plate, got up and returned to the oven. Asuka and Misato found themselves once more conferencing in hushed voices.

"Where did she put it?" Asuka hissed.

"I didn't even see her move," Misato muttered in awe.

Shinji loaded up Misato and Rei's plates once more, and delivered the food to the two women. He sat down and decided to probe a little, given all of the ladies seemed in good enough moods to have loose lips.

_Mmmm, lips… Gah! Naughty thoughts!_

"So... How's Hikari Asuka? Have you heard from her recently?" He asked.

"You've only been gone a day, Shin-chan," Misato said, lightly amused. Shinji rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"It feels a little longer, eheh..."

"I talked to her yesterday on the phone. She's fine." Asuka snorted. "The evacuation shelters are boring, as usual…"

_So she's not a pilot here..._ Shinji mused. "How about Touji? Kensuke? Mari? Mana?"

"Sure are asking after a lot of girls, Shin-chan. Should I feel jealous?" Misato asked, sniffling and crying on command with crocodile tears. Damn she was good. He wondered if the other Shinji could resist it.

"Mari? Mana? So what, are you seeing other girls?" Asuka asked flatly. "Didn't think you had the balls for one, Baka Shinji."

The barb was sharp, but not as sharp as Asuka could usually make it. Not that Shinji knew this; he just took it as cheerful ribbing as usual.

"Ah, you know me," Shinji replied with a roguish smile he'd appropriated from his father. "I'm just too much man for one woman. Sides, I've saved the world solo at least three times now. I think a harem is included in my contract."

Asuka almost choked on her forkful of food, and stared in disbelief at him. "What?"

"So, that include us?" Misato purred while casting bedroom eyes at him. Shinji grinned and shrugged.

"Pretty much, yeah. Misato's first wife, Rei's second wife, and Asuka's third."

"Third?" Asuka asked, her brain focusing on that which was most pertinent-Rankings. Shinji shrugged.

"Hey, it's only fair right? I've known Misato longer than I have Rei, or you-"

"Ha! Like you're good enough for me! I should be the one with a harem, not you," Asuka snapped back, a little smirk on her face. "Too bad there's only ONE man good enough for me!" Shinji sighed and looked between the women. Misato was smiling and Rei… Well, Rei looked interested.

"Well, what about our feelings, Shinji? What if we don't want to be your wives?" Misato easily teased back. Shinji smirked.

"It wouldn't exactly change our relationship, would it? Just add sex into the mix. I mean, I already cook, clean, pilot a giant robot to save the world, give you massages-"

"Massages?" Asuka broke. "I never got a massage! I'm an actual pilot, too! What does Misato do? She just stands around all day yelling at us through the radio!"

"That can be rough on a woman's back, Asuka," Misato chided Asuka.

"Perhaps… I should be First Wife. If I am also the First Child," Rei spoke at last, quietly. Shinji looked over at Rei with a warm smile, garnering another blush out of the girl.

"That's also a good point!" Shinji said. "Man, this is going to be tough. I can't do it democratically, there aren't enough voters. Maybe I should hold a poll: Who should Marry the Best…" At Asuka's sharp look of anger, Shinji coughed, "… The Best _Male_ Evangelion pilot first."

Asuka smirked. "Well then you're just asking for me to win, Third."

"That's a bad thing?" Shinji asked with a grin. Rei once more held her empty plate to him. He nodded, took up the plate, loaded it up and came back. This time though, he gave her a little grin.

"I'll give you this food Rei, but only if you grant me some payment," Shinji said. Rei looked up at him in mild confusion.

"What?"

"A smile," Shinji said. Rei slowly smiled again, and Shinji grinned.

"There we go!" He bent down and kissed her cheek again, setting the plate down in front of her. Another blush came to her cheeks, and Misato and Asuka stared in disbelief. The major recovered first.

"... Hmm... No kiss for me, Shinji-kun? You're awfully flirty with her." Misato said flatly. Shinji sighed, as though put upon, and got up to deliver a kiss to her cheek as well.

"...You'd better not leave me out, idiot."

Even Rei looked a little surprised at Asuka. Shinji shrugged and moved over to the Second Child, bending down to kiss her cheek as well. He sighed as he stood up.

"Save the world, cook, clean, kiss... Will the ladies be wanting massages too? Bed warming? Erotic dancing? Should I get my g-string out?"

"Ooh, I'll take a dance!" Misato grinned.

"Massage for me," Asuka added.

"'G-string?'" Rei asked.

Asuka cast a small smirk at Shinji. "You know idiot, you could have your old room back if you didn't mind sharing."

"He can share my room~" Misato added.

"We may have to do this in shifts," Asuka mused.

"Aw, but we don't want to leave Rei-chan out, do we? I suppose you two could just share a bed," Misato said with a little leer. Rei's cheeks turned red once more.

"… That would not be a problem."

Shinji leaned back a little in his chair, getting the feeling he might be going just a _little_ too far, too fast.

"Ah well, you know it's the kind of thing to work out later. I think I uh need to check on something." He rose and headed out of the kitchen, leaving the three girls behind. Misato let out a laugh and leaned back. Rei was still blushing.

"… I think I like him better this way," Asuka commented. Misato grinned.

"Oh ho? Really?"

Asuka snorted. "Like you don't. And anything to get the First to loosen up is welcome. If this gets the stick out of her ass, I may have to reassess how I look at Angels."

Rei looked away at this, but neither of the other women gave it much thought. There was too much to process right now.

* * *

Shinji sighed and splashed more cold water into his face. He looked up into the mirror, and shook his head.

"And I thought the sexual tension was bad…" He shook his head. "Geez…" He reached for his towel and rubbed his face dry, but as he lowered the towel from his eyes…

"AAAAHHH!" He shouted, jumping away and falling into the tub. "GAH! Owww…!"

Inhuman eyes stared at him. "Wark."

"… Look, I know I might be different from the other Shinji, but I swear I'm not… You know… Evil or anything, and I'll keep cooking all you like, it's really nothing different and…" He trailed off and stared intently at Pen Pen. Pen Pen stared back.

"… You can't speak Japanese, can you?"

"… Wark," Pen Pen commented, turning and waddling away. Shinji sighed.

_I wonder if that makes me more or less crazy here…?_

Then he heard the dull roar of turbofans. Distant, but getting louder. With a frown, he ran out of the bathroom and for the balcony. Asuka, Rei, and Misato were already there watching, and a dull red glow was coming from the direction of downtown Tokyo-3. Loud warning sirens went off, as a flock of UN VTOLs flew off in the same direction.

"What is that, an Angel?" Asuka asked. Misato frowned, and was about to answer before all of their phones rang. Shinji sighed, and looked over at Asuka as Misato took the call.

"Guess we'll have to wait on the massage, huh?"

Asuka smirked. "If you forget, I'll just have to remind you, huh Third?"

Shinji shrugged and grinned. "Yep."

* * *

_Well, you asked for more, and I'm giving you more. And as long as you want to read more then I'll write more. Rather circular but there you are-I thrive on feedback. The more there is the more I want to write and not study for my Spanish class._

_Next chapter: Rook!Shinji finds things are somewhat more complicated in this universe when it comes to love, war and giant robots, while King!Shinji faces a unique situation and meets an old friend whose internship with the JSSDF has more to it than getting coffee and stapling spreadsheets._


	4. Chapter 4

_Castling_

_By Andrew J. Talon_

_Author's Note: The voice of Pen Pen will be provided by Samuel L. Jackson; the Greatest English Speaker in the World.  
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* * *

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_**ROOK**_

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* * *

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The elevator was quiet. Quiet enough to let Shinji catch his breath and calm down. It felt as though he was on some kind of roller coaster ride, with dips and climbs and so many turns his brain kept getting left behind.

A common thread kept coming up though. Over and over again.

_SEELE..._ His father had little statuettes of the apparent members of it-Statuettes they had smashed. SEELE had apparently sent that Angel-based weapon, which had very nearly killed Hikari. SEELE also had Evas. One Eva of which had flown nearby, with a pilot that quite frankly frightened him.

SEELE was the enemy, that much was certain. Just like the Angels. Like the Angels though, he had no knowledge of their motives. What they wanted. Why they were fighting.

"Haa..."

Shinji turned and stared at Asuka. The redhead had turned her back to him, as the tension in her limbs seemed to go out. Shinji frowned.

"Um... You all right?"

Asuka straightened up, and turned to look at him. "Fine... It's over for now, after all. I get a break." She rubbed the back of her neck, wincing a little. "Nngh..." She looked over at Shinji. "I should probably be asking you that, but I get the feeling you're not. So it'd be pointless."

"I... Well... I don't really know," Shinji admitted. "I guess I'm not."

Asuka crossed her arms under her breasts, inadvertently pushing them up as she looked at him intently. Shinji averted his eyes immediately with a blush. Her uniform seemed so tight...

"Akagi said you might have some memory problems after being inside the Angel," Asuka said. "But nothing that would interfere with your functioning. Is she right?"

"Um... I-I can still pilot," Shinji said quietly. Asuka frowned.

"That's not what I asked."

Shinji slowly looked at him, trying very hard to meet her eyes. Surely that's what she would expect, right? The moment he did though, he saw something very unexpected.

_Concern... She's... She's worried about me,_ he thought. _She... She cares...?_

"How much do you remember about us?" She asked softly.

"U-Us?" Shinji asked, increasingly confused. Asuka gave him a tender look, and then with melodramatic weight held her cheeks with her hands and looked away.

"The night of passion we shared... Did you lose it~?" She asked. Shinji's jaw dropped as his entire face lit up bright red.

"Wh-Wh-WHAT?"

Asuka snickered, and gave him a lightly teasing look. One very similar to Misato's. Shinji calmed down as the realization hit.

"You were teasing me."

"I was testing you. And teasing. I'm a genius, I can multitask," Asuka said with a smile. "You can still pilot, sure, but you're no good to anyone if you're constantly forgetting things. It makes you vulnerable." She narrowed her eyes. "Particularly to those all too happy to take advantage of it."

"Take advantage of...?" Shinji asked, but was interrupted when the elevator stopped with a ding. The doors opened, and waiting out in the hallway was Misato and Rei.

"Hey Shinji! Come on, it's time to head home," Misato said. Asuka gave her superior a flat look.

"I thought you were supposed to already be gone," Asuka said suspiciously. Misato laughed.

"What, and miss you trying to do my job? Nonsense. I wanted to see how well you did."

"And?" Asuka prompted with narrowed eyes. Misato grinned.

"We're all alive, aren't we? As are the pilots. You're doing at least as good a job as I do. Of course," she posed, "I look better doing it."

"HA! You wish!" Asuka snorted.

"Besides, I'm not about to let you take advantage of poor Shinji's memory loss," Misato said, as reached out and pulled him into a familiar hug. "He's vulnerable right now. Who knows what kinds of things you'd do to him alone?"

"Someone's projecting their perversions," Asuka shot back.

"Mmph!" Shinji grunted.

"And would you get your hands off his ass? It's unprofessional!" Asuka snarled.

"I'm off duty now, I can be as unprofessional as I want," Misato said teasingly. Still, she released Shinji, who took a few deep breaths. Not for lack of air but to calm himself down-His face was bright red.

"I believe we should retire home," Rei suggested. "I wish to celebrate the prevention of another extinction-level event, and Shinji is the only one of us who can cook."

"I can cook!" Misato said, affronted.

"Biological weapons don't count," Asuka said, as all of them began moving down the hallway. As the conversation continued around him, Shinji found that his mind continued to be filled with questions. Mainly why he lived with Misato and Asuka here too, rather than with his parents. Or why Rei was with them.

Strangest of all though, the questions were increasingly regulated to the back of his mind by a single thought.

_This feels... Like home. Only better._

That thought, the same one he'd been having throughout the day, put a little guilty smile on his face that stayed all the way to the parking lot.

* * *

The apartment complex they drove up to was definitely not what Shinji remembered. It was a different building entirely and resembled a kind of modular castle, with pointed towers at the corners and AC units lining the top like battlements. The biggest difference between the two apartment complexes, however, was the fact that half of the windows were lit. He could even see people in some of them as they pulled into a parking space.

_More people live here?_ He thought to himself. They exited the car... All four of them.

"I'm looking forward to a nice bath," Asuka sighed, rolling her neck. "The showers at NERV are always too damn cold."

"I have no trouble with cold showers," Rei said. Her voice was just as soft, but held an undercurrent of amusement to it. "I think we both need them more often given recent events." She gave Shinji a little smile.

"Shinji-kun probably needs them too," Misato said with a wry smirk. Shinji blushed.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about...!"

"Sure you don't, sure," Misato giggled. Asuka sighed, shaking her head.

"Enough teasing him you dirty shotacon! I'm hungry, he can cook, let's get going already!"

"All right, all right," Misato sighed. "Spoilsport."

On t he elevator rideup, Rei actually made a few faces at Asuka. Asuka stoically bore it, but couldn't resist sticking her tongue out at the albino girl. Rei smiled again, and Shinji looked away when she seemed to notice his stare.

_I don't know how I'll ever get used to that,_ he thought to himself as the doors opened. They trooped down the hallway, Misato slashing her ID card through the card reader on the door marked 302.

"Home sweet home," Misato sighed happily. Asuka and Rei followed, leaving Shinji to stand outside the door as he had when he'd first entered Misato's apartment.

_Home..._ He touched the side of the door. _Home..._

He entered and walked through the living room, looking around. The furniture wasn't too different from the other apartment. The TV was a flatscreen, and hung from the wall. There were two bookshelves. One held movies. The other held actual books, which was a bit more of a surprise.

_The Wind-up Bird Chronicle... The Odyssey... Harry Potter?_ Shinji blinked at the last title and pulled it out. He thumbed through it. It seemed harmless enough, if bizarre. Orphan, magical child, some dark wizard...

He looked back at the bookshelf, trying to make sense of it. Alongside romance novels (text and manga in English, Japanese and German) were a couple of books on military strategy in English and a few scifi novels, Arthur C. Clarke and Larry Niven among them. With a number of shonen manga volmues from various years sat philosophy books, from Aristotle to Kant. There was even a weathered copy of the Bible sitting on the shelf, tucked in between the latest edition of _Man'yōshū_ and _Gravity's Rainbow_.

_All these books..._ He ran his fingers over the spines. There were so many different kinds of books all thrown together, reflecting such different tastes. _Like they all just put their collections together._

This brought a smile to his face, even though he wasn't sure why.

"Who are you?"

Shinji jumped and turned around. "Huh? Who?"

"Who are you?"

Shinji looked down, and he stared at Pen Pen. Pen Pen stared back.

"I... Uh... H-Hi Pen Pen," Shinji did. He looked around. The penguin's beak opened.

"I asked you a question. Twice. Who are you?"

Shinji slammed his back into the bookshelf behind him and his eyes shot wide open.

"Y-Y-You can talk?"

"No, you're going insane and imagining I'm talking to you," the penguin said sarcastically. "_Of course_ I can talk, dumbass. This isn't about me though, this is about _you_. As in, who are you," the penguin's eyes narrowed, "and where is _my_ Shinji?"

Shinji trembled, and gulped. _Okay, okay, don't panic, don't panic...!_ "Uh, Misato? Mis-!"

Pen Pen reached up to the pack on the back of his collar, and produced a knife. Holding it in his cute little claws, the penguin brought it forth to point at Shinji's crotch. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Yes Shinji?" Misato called back. Pen Pen growled and brought the knife closer to Shinji's balls.

"Say it's nothing," Pen Pen said softly. Shinji nodded quickly.

"N-Nothing! It's nothing!" He called.

"Okay!" Misato shouted back.

Shinji gulped.

"Talk! Or I make you even girlier than you already are!" Pen Pen threatened.

"O-O-Okay! Okay! I-I don't know! I think we-we switched places!" Shinji squeaked.

"Switched places?" Pen Pen asked. Shinji rapidly nodded.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Like different universes?" Pen Pen guessed further. Shinji nodded again.

"Yes!"

"I don't see a goatee on you, boy... On the other claw I'm not sure your balls have dropped yet so I can't use that to tell if you're evil or not," Pen Pen said. Shinji shook his head.

"I-I'm not evil! I swear!"

"So, no helping the Angels win? Because I have plans, kid! Big plans! And if you fuck them up I might just decide to make you into a girl permanently!"

"No no no, please! Please don't! I-I won't let the Angels win!"

"Or SEELE?" Pen Pen asked suspiciously. Shinji shook his head. The penguin removed the knife from Shinji's crotch, but still held it up.

"You'd better be telling the truth pal, or the school choir will find itself with a brand new sopran-"

"Shinji!" Misato called cheerfully as she entered the room, now in customary home attire. Which was to say, skimpy. Shinji felt nothing but relief though, as well as confusion: When he looked back at Pen Pen, no knife was to be found and innocently nipping at his feathers under his wing.

"Uh, h-hi Misato," Shinji squeaked. Misato took in the scene and sighed.

"Shinji, it's okay, that's just Pen Pen," she soothed. "He won't hurt you. He's my pet."

"I uh..." Shinji nodded rapidly. "R-Right... Pet..."

"Not going to change out of your uniform?" Misato asked. Shinji shrugged.

"I um..."

"Well, you don't have any time now. Not if you want to get dinner out before those two come out of the bath and the others show up," Misato said. Shinji nodded quickly.

"S-Sure! I'll uh, get right on that...! What do you all want?"

"Our favorites Shinji. Just as we always do after beating an Angel," Misato said with a smile.

"R-Right..."

"You do remember those, right?" Misato asked, looking almost hurt. At another glare from Pen Pen, Shinji nodded. The penguin motioned towards the kitchen with his beak.

"Yes! Of-Of course! Excuse me, I'm just gonna get Pen Pen's dinner started, excuse me...!" He hustled the penguin into the kitchen as Misato sat down and began to watch TV. Once the sound of that was blaring, Shinji knelt down and looked Pen Pen in the eyes.

"Okay... What are their favorites?" Shinji asked.

"Wark," Pen Pen said, staring at him without any of the previous intelligence in his eyes.

"... I..." Shinji sighed and held a hand to his forehead. "Maybe I am going crazy."

"Maybe you are," Pen Pen said. Shinji fell back, eyes wide.

"Wah?"

The penguin snickered. "You're too easy, kid."

"Look, just... What do you want?" Shinji asked. Pen Pen huffed.

"I'd say that's my line, kid."

"But you-!"

"Look, look, just take a deep breath, all right?" Pen Pen said. "Crying out loud kid, you're revved up worse than Rei on caffeine."

Shinji nodded, taking deep breaths. He found himself relaxing. Just taking breaths in, and out, in, and out...

"Look, kid. I'll tell you what. I'm a sporting penguin. I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you their favorites if you do me a little favor," Pen Pen said. Shinji slowly nodded.

"Sure... The best fish, prepared any way you want-"

"No, that's not what I want. I want fish I can just look cute at the market. No, what I want is money," Pen Pen said. Shinji blinked.

"But I don't-"

"Not from you! I mean to start a business here, kid!" Pen Pen huffed. "And that business is pretty simple." He fixed Shinji with a direct stare. "I want you to take pictures of the girls of NERV, in compromising situations."

"Huh?"

"Naked. Pictures. NERV. Women. Is that too much for your puny little brain to manage?" Pen Pen asked imperiously, crossing his fins over his chest as he glared. Shinji sighed, feeling defeated.

"... O-Okay... I'll do it."

Pen Pen stared for a few moments, before he waddled to his fridge. He opened it and pulled out a large fish. Said fish in his claw, he waddled back to the confused Shinji. He held up a claw, and made a human-like motion to indicate Shinji should bend down.

"Uh... What?" Shinji asked. "OW!"

Pen Pen swung the fish around as Shinji held his cheek. "Seriously, you're just plain spineless aren't you?"

"I... It..." Shinji's eyes went to the floor. "I... I guess..."

"Well, clearly you're not a threat," Pen Pen said dryly. Shinji's shoulders sunk even lower. Pen Pen sighed. "Look kid, I just wanted to get an idea of who I was dealing with, okay? You don't have to do anything..." The penguin narrowed his eyes. "Except not get us all killed."

_That's no different from back there,_ Shinji thought bitterly.

"Don't mope. Look, I'll tell you what you need to do. Butter to start with, and then..."

The recipes were all things Shinji knew how to make, but there were a few little tweaks here and there that, in hindsight, Shinji realized made them a lot better. Pen Pen's instructions were to the letter on that point, and he found himself figuring out why he needed to turn up the heat at such and such a time, and why a little lemon made the beef taste better.

All so normal... All stuff he could have figured out himself. A smile was on his face before he noticed it as the familiar habit of cooking was transformed by the knowledge of how it was done here.

It was... Almost fun, figuring this stuff out, and why to do it.

"Huh... Not so gloomy now, are you?" Pen Pen asked.

"I... I guess not," Shinji admitted. "I mean...I'm talking to a Penguin, and everything is... Nice."

"Man is more than his worries," Pen Pen said sagely. "After all, for however long you're here, this is your world. Why not enjoy it?"

Shinji smiled as he stirred one of the bubbling pots, and sampled it. "Yeah... So... You know," he began. "I've heard about this SEELE thing a couple of times, but I don't know what it is. Can you tell me about it, Pen Pen?"

"Wark."

Shinji blinked and looked over at Pen Pen, who was again biting at something under his wing. "Uh... Pen Pen?"

A pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and a pair of round, firm yet soft things pressed against his back. Shinji stiffened as a pair of lips blew air across his ear.

"Nope. Guess again, Shinji," purred a female voice. A familiar voice. Her hands wandered, and the girl pressed the rest of her body up against his back. Shinji's cheeks turned bright red.

"Ah... Uh... Um...!"

"Come on, you can get this," the girl whispered. "It ain't been that long since we saw each other..."

"C-Connie?" He managed. The American girl laughed and kissed his cheek.

"Got it in one, Shinji. Now, as for your priz-Owowowowow!"

Connie released her hold on him, and Shinji turned around to see the blonde girl wincing due to the hold Asuka had on her ear.

"Owowowow! Hey! Oww! Lemme go! Please?"

"Let him cook in peace," Asuka huffed. Another throat was cleared, and Shinji saw Hikari standing nearby. She gave Asuka a disapproving look.

"Come on, she was happy to see him!"

"I could tell _how_ happy," Asuka said in a dry tone. She released Connie, who held her ear. At the look Hikari was giving her, Connieblushed.

"What? I don't like wearin' a bra when I'm relaxing!" The blonde protested.

_Not wearing a...?_ Shinji looked down and saw two little nubs poking out of Connie's tight blue T-shirt. He felt faint, and quickly turned around back to the food.

_Oh God oh God oh God... N-Nipples... Nipples...!_ His mind shouted. As the rest of the house residents entered the kitchen, the discussion continued.

"What's wrong wit' not wearing a bra? I got plenty o' time before I start to sag!" Connie said. "Misato doesn't wear a bra!"

"Actually I do," Misato said cheerfully. "It's this new version made out of the same material as the plugsuits. Rits fixed me up with one."

_Oh God...!_ Shinji felt as though the blood might burst out of his cheeks at that little revelation and the mental images it conjured up.

"Oh? How well does it work?" Hikari asked, sounding interested.

"It feels like I'm not wearing anything. It just wraps around my boobs and my back, and supports them," Misato said. "Hey Shinji, can you look over here for a second?"

Shinji automatically did so. "What do youhhhh?" His jaw dropped. Misato had lifted up her tank top with a grin, showing off a very, _very_ revealing purple bra that seemed to wrap around her boobs, held snugly like two presents just waiting to be unwrapped.

"It feels like I'm wearing nothing at all~," Misato purred.

"Christ Misato, stop flashing him already!" Asuka barked. "As if you couldn't be any MORE shameless!"

"Please, you show him more during showering and the synch tests," Misato snorted. Asuka sputtered.

"THAT'S FOR TEAM BUILDING PURPOSES!"

"Surrre it is," Misato smirked.

"Hmmm... Think I could get one?" Connie asked, eying it speculatively.

"Ritsuko-mama gave me one as well," Rei said, lifting her shirt up. It had taken Shinji a moment to process Rei wearing something other than her school uniform. Seeing her in a tanktop and shorts, now _lifting_ said tank top to show off her bra-clad breasts, well... Sure, he'd seen her naked but this felt so much more erotic.

"IKARI! EYES ON THE _FOOD_!" Asuka snarled in a commanding tone. Shinji broke out of his spell and quickly turned back to the stove.

"R-Right! Right!"

"Please, if you weren't in on the '24/7' mindset, you'd be acting like his wife, Asuka," Hikari snorted. "Not that you aren't already..."

Laughter radiated from the table behind him, and Shinji peeked to see if Asuka was embarrassed. To his surprise, she was giving Hikari a smug look.

"Two words. Bento Box."

Hikari's freckled cheeks turned bright red. "Ah...!"

"Oooh... _That_ particular bento?" Misato teased.

"The-I was just showing my appreciation!" Hikari said quickly, waving her hands.

"Huh. I wondered why she wanted Aida to draw that scene o' her and Shinji kissin' on wood," Connie mused.

"TRAITOR!" Hikari cried.

"It-It slipped! It slipped! I'm sorry Sarge!" Connie said quickly.

"W-well, at least I don't try to deny it!" Hikari shot back at Asuka. The redhead snorted.

"Deny what? So he's attractive-Doesn't mean I want to jump him and ride him like a bronco... Connie," she said this last with a glare at the blonde. Shinji's jaw fell so low he actually checked the boiling pots to see if it had fallen in.

_Asuka... Admits I'm attractive?_

As if he needed any more proof this was an alternate universe.

Connie was bright red as well.

"I uh... I got a little carried away, heheh..." She admitted quietly. Her eyes met Shinji's, and the girl's turned away first. She had a little smile on her face though, which infuriated Asuka.

_And her... What happened...?_ His libido happily tried to provide some ideas but Shinji beat them down with a healthy dose of self loathing.

Misato sighed. "Honestly, you're all such a pack of teenagers. Shut up and lighten up," she cast a glare at all of the girls, and they collectively silenced. "Good. Come on Shinji, you're done now right?"

"Ah, y-yes! Food's ready!" Shinji said. It had been ready for a while but Shinji had been understandably distracted. He quickly finished combining the dishes and set them out, slowly and carefully. Misato gave him a warm smile.

"Mmm... You know, you look very good in the apron, Shinji-kun~," she said. Shinji flustered.

"Uh, th-thanks..."

"Maybe he should just wear that?" Misato suggested.

"J-Just the apron?" Hikari asked, a glazed look in her eyes.

"I like that idea!" Connie chimed in cheerfully.

Rei nodded her assent. Asuka sighed and glared at Misato.

"He's not your sex toy, you shameless shotacon."

"Sex toy? Hardly! Boy toy, definitely," Misato said.

"Like you don't want to see him like that," Hikari sniped. Asuka smirked back.

"I get to see him naked every day. I'm _just _fine."

"Wh-What?" Shinji asked in disbelief. Asuka huffed.

"I already said you were attractive, Ikari. What more do you want?"

"See, you like to brag about it, even!" Hikari accused her.

"The Captain's so mean," Connie whined.

"Brag? It's just a statement of fact. A little privilege of rank," Asuka said. As Shinji served her, he felt and heard a smack to his bottom.

"ACK! Wh-What the...?" Shinji looked down. Asuka pulled her hand back and gave him an innocent little smile.

"Oh, _now_ who's being unprofessional?" Misato asked with a wry grin. Asuka snorted.

"We're off duty, I can be as unprofessional as I like," she smoothly threw Misato's words back at her.

"Okay, okay, I think we've met the quota of Shinji's sexual harassment," Misato said.

"Th-There's a quota?" Shinji sputtered. Misato grinned.

"Yep! Sign up sheet in the womens' locker room."

"I got tomorrow!" Connie said cheerfully.

"No you don't, Maya does," Misato said. She winked at Shinji. "Better watch your rear, Shin-kun~."

"Everyone else is happy to do it," Hikari cracked.

Shinji sighed as feminine laughter rang out. _Great... It's like back home... Only worse._ Shinji finished serving the rest of the girls, and sat down at his usual seat-Which happened to be between Connie and Rei. Well, at least Rei wouldn't do anything.

_Then again,_ he thought as he saw her smile again. He caught Asuka's eye, and couldn't help his pout at her. Asuka threw up her hands.

"Oh what? It's no worse than Rei snapping your ass with her towel!"

It was Rei's turn to blush. Shinji was glad it was someone else this time.

"Mmm... I can't wait t' get an Eva... Captain~?" Connie asked plaintively. Asuka glared.

"I haven't made my decision yet..."

"Uh... What?" Shinji asked. Misato giggled.

"I think the day's been pretty rough on Shinji-kun's brain. How about we make it simple?"

Asuka huffed, looked as though she was remembering something like where she left her ID Card, then fixed her eyes on Shinji.

"Units 03 and 04 are coming from America in the next week or so. As Head Pilot, it's _my_ job to pick who gets to pilot from our Eidolon pilot pool. Since we have six pilots to choose from, I'm having to judge based on how well they've been performing." She fixed a glare on Hikari and Connie. "And you _can't_ butter me up."

"What if we offered you first dibs on Shinji?" Hikari asked sweetly. Shinji coughed.

"Wh-What?" He looked over at Asuka, who seemed to be seriously considering it.

"Hmmm... Would I be allowed whipped cream and cake frosting?" She asked. Connie grinned.

"Captain, you could use whatever your pretty little heart desires."

"Hmm..." She looked over at Shinji, who started.

"H-H-Hey! I thought the sexual harassment was-was over for the night!"

"Now they are discussing you as a bargaining tool. It is entirely different," Rei commented. She cast a sideways look at Shinji. "Perhaps I should revisit my plan to pimp you out."

"In any event," Misato said with a sharp clearing of her throat, "Asuka is really dragging it out. The Angels are just getting tougher."

"Well, finding a pilot who is competent and doesn't annoy me is tough." Asuka said airily. "Those are two very high standards. So far, Hikari's the front runner."

"You trust her? What about me?" Connie asked.

"I trust her _more_ than you because _I_ trained her myself," Asuka answered archly.

"Thank you, Asuka~," Hikari said, and Shinji could swear there were hearts in her eyes when she looked at him. He gulped.

"But if I pull Hikari in, that leaves the Eidolons with you, Suzuhara, that whore Kirishima, that psycho Makinami, and that creepy girl from Nigeria, what's her name...?" Asuka thought aloud.

"Adeola," Connie said. "And she ain't creepy. She's just dedicated!"

"She is never without her sword. I swear to God she even takes it into the baths with her. And what the hell does she need with a _sword_?" Asuka asked incredulously. "I carry a gun, sure, but that's because _guns. Fucking. Work._"

"Her Eidolon has a sword," Rei pointed out.

"So? Shinji's does too, don't see him carting the fucking thing around everywhere!" Asuka said.

"M-Maybe she does it to hone her skills?" Shinji suggested quietly. Misato nodded.

"She's very dedicated. It's admirable... But don't you worry! I'll make sure Asuka selects the next pilots fair and square." Misato winked at Shinji at this, and the boy had the feeling that no matter what, he was going to be in trouble.

He finished his dinner as the conversation turned to girlier topics. Shinji had learned long ago how to tune out such discussion-It invariably turned to things he as a male had no business being involved in. It also distracted him from the... Well... Not insignificant problem he had below the table.

Eventually the topic of bedtime came up, and Shinji was all too happy to head for his bedroom quickly. It was even marked the same in the other world. Inside, things were much the same...

Save for the photos on the dresser. Shinji paused a moment to look them over.

In one, he was standing in front of the school. Touji, Kensuke, Rei, Connie, Asuka, and two other girls he didn't know-One with dark red hair and green eyes, one with almost magenta hair with glasses-All gathered together in a pose. Everyone was smiling-Even Asuka. Shinji reached up and touched the frame, before his eyes moved to the next photos.

One was of himself as a small boy, Gendo and Saeko holding his hands in front of a beach. They were all smiling, as the sun cast it's rays over the rolling waves. He trembled, and put it back down. Some kind of military medal-Silver with bronze stars-sat on the shelf, along with a few other ribbons and awards. Shinji didn't know what they were and he didn't really care, as something more important caught his eyes: A small pile of photos resting on his dresser. Shinji began sorting through them, slowly, trying to burn every unknown memory into his mind.

Asuka and himself both in uniform, standing at attention and saluting. His father reading in an easy chair, with Saeko leaning over his shoulder to read with him. Touji posing like a body builder in his plugsuit, while Kensuke was pushing up his glasses in a typical "cool" pose in his own.

_Weird... Kensuke wasn't mentioned as a pilot,_ Shinji thought. He hoped nothing bad had happened to him in this world.

He flipped to another photo, and froze. It was of Connie and himself, with a very old man standing between them. The man was wearing a military uniform, covered in medals, and was smiling wryly at the camera as though in on some joke. Connie was in a nice dress, white, and she looked as though she was crying despite the smile on her face. And Shinji... The other Shinji... Was holding her hand and forcing his own smile.

"Uh... Hey."

Shinji looked back over his shoulder. Connie was standing in the doorway, her eyes on the photo he held in his hand. Shinji moved to put it away, but the blonde crossed the distance between them to hold it in her hand as well.

"I had almost forgotten all th' little things he wore on his uniform," Connie said softly. "Most of it, places I ain't ever heard of before. He didn't talk much about that..."

"... Oh," Shinji said, a bit awkwardly. Connie gave him a sad smile.

"It's okay..." She chuckled. "I thought, at first, he'd have trouble or somethin' with protectin' Japan... Seeing how he was in the war and all. I mean, I don't hold a grudge or nothin', but old folks often..." Connie trailed off, and shrugged. She looked at Shinji with a warm smile.

"I know I said thanks before, Shinji, but... I just wanted to say it again."

"For... For what?" Shinji asked.

"For stayin' with me, when..." She sighed, and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Thanks again," she whispered.

"N-N-No problem," Shinji whispered back.

"Connie! We need to go!" Hikari called.

"Be right there!" Connie called back. She hugged Shinji again and took off. Shinji stared after her, and slowly lifted his hand to his lips.

_A girl... A girl kissed me..._

He didn't know what for, but all things considered he was fine with it.

* * *

Through various security cameras, Gendo observed the happenings in the Ayanami-Ikari-Katusargi-Shikinami residence from the comfort of his computer at home. His wife entered his office and sat down next to him.

"How's he settling in?" She asked, unconcerned with this breach of privacy. It was par for course with Gendo, another little "eccentricity".

Besides, if it got out of hand again she had ways of making him cooperate.

"He's meek," Gendo surmised. "Underconfident." He put his fingers into a steeple over his mouth as he leaned back. "And not very comfortable with physical contact."

"In other words, like a child abandoned by his parents at a young age?" Saeko asked. Gendo nodded, his eyes narrowed.

"He doesn't know anything about SEELE... And his Eva has UN markings on it." He rubbed his chin. "From all these clues, and from what he's told us, I think I know what's going on in his world."

"What?" Saeko asked.

"My other self... He's trying to initiate Third Impact. Against SEELE's own scenario. Shinji-_his_ Shinji-is the key, just as their Unit One is the key." He shook his head. "No wonder he's so different."

"Then do you know what will happen to our son?" Saeko asked.

"Yes," Gendo said.

"... Can he handle it?" Saeko pressed, gripping his shoulder now. Gendo sighed.

"... I don't know," he admitted. "That scenario... It called for so much and since it's not in place..."

Saeko hugged him. "You said he could handle himself... You believe it?"

Gendo looked into her eyes, and nodded slowly. "Yes... I do." He looked back at his son, sitting alone in his room. His eyes narrowed.

"Belief and thought though... They're two entirely different things."

* * *

**_KING_**

* * *

Being rushed off to NERV in the middle of the night wasn't exactly out of the ordinary. Angels didn't adhere to human schedules after all, and one never knew when Ritsuko would have a flash of brilliant inspiration and drag all the pilots in for tests.

Usually naked tests. Shinji wasn't a scientist but he was reasonably sure he could run on a treadmill hooked up to various sensors with clothes on rather than off. And Misato, Ritsuko and Maya didn't have to attend.

_Man, that's so unfair..._ He hopped into his entry plug, slid into the restraints and took hold of the controls. "Start up sequence engaged... Unit 01 online." He leaned back as the plug came online, filling with LCL. When it finished, he lifted his hands up. The Eva's hands lifted up as well, and Shinji clenched and unclenched his fists. He nodded. "Ready to launch!"

_"All right Shinji, we're putting you up northwest of the target,"_ Misato said over the radio, all business. _"Rei and Asuka will emerge to the east and west. We'll box it in."_

"Any idea what is it?" Shinji asked.

_"It's not an Angel. It's definitely mechanical in nature, man-made. The mass is around the same as an Evangelion, but it's design is significantly different,"_ Ritsuko said. Shinji frowned.

"Is it armed?"

_"Looks like, but from what we can tell it's not packing anything that could harm an Eva. The biggest problem will be stopping it without causing excessive property damage,"_ Ritsuko said. Shinji shrugged.

"Never stopped us before, right?"

_"Just try to keep it from causing any more destruction or moving from where it is now. The civilians have been rushed to the shelters but evacuation isn't complete for the rest of the city,"_ Misato said. Shinji nodded.

"Roger that Major."

The Eva was moved to the launch rails, and locked in. Shinji relaxed.

_"Unit 01-LAUNCH!"_

Unit 01 shot to the surface on the electromagnetic launch rails, emerging at street level mere seconds later. Shinji took a few deep breaths of the LCL, and his eyes adjusted as he looked around the city.

_"Unit 02, on the surface! Ready to go!"_ Asuka shouted.

_"Unit 00. Ready,"_ Rei said.

_"Right. Shinji, go in and make visual contact. Asuka, Rei, stand by,"_ Misato ordered.

_"What? Why send him?"_ Asuka asked, affronted.

_"He has the highest synch ratio, he'll have the greatest dexterity,"_ Misato explained. _"I want this thing disabled, not destroyed."_

_"WHAT?"_

"Er, roger that Misato," Shinji said. He moved forward quickly, trying to avoid crushing any cars in his way. Asuka opened a window between them and scowled.

_"What the hell is this with you having a better synch ratio than me? What scheist is this you little-!"_

"Sorry Asuka, I can't hear you! There must be something wrong with my Eva. I'll have to call you back." Shinji called, closing the channel. "Maya-chan, I've got a problem with my communications system, I couldn't hear a _word_ Asuka was saying. Can you do a check on my communications system?"

_"Ah, certainly Shinji,"_ Maya replied, sounding embarrassed. Shinji raced through the streets, moving quickly but carefully. He came to an intersection, and found the source of the red glow. There were several buildings on fire, and in the middle of the massive conflagration stalked...

"A dinosaur?" Shinji asked.

_"It looks saurian. It facilitates quick bursts of speed with a stable platform for bipedalism,_" Ritsuko assessed. Shinji grinned.

"Awesome!" At Misato's look through the holowindow, he coughed. "I mean, the destruction is horrible but the dinosaur thing is cool." The dinosaur-like mecha turned and roared at Unit 01, it's eyes flashing in the flames. It charged, smashing through several piles of overturned cars. "Oh boy."

Shinji jumped, getting to the roof of a nearby building. The dinosaur mecha ran up and rammed it's head into the building's lower levels, before looking up to roar again.

"Uh... Bad dinosaur?" Shinji called. "Heel! Sit! Stay!"

_"Shinji, that's not helping you disable it,"_ Misato pointed out. Shinji grinned.

"Sure it is. It gets me higher." He crouched down. "Detaching umbilical!"

_"Wait, what-?"_ Shinji jumped again, shooting up high as the umbilical dropped away from Unit 01's back. He pointed his heels down and fell, aiming for the back of the mecha. He slammed both feet into the joints between the legs and the body of the mecha, separating them. The body of the mecha slammed down into the street, legs falling uselessly to the sides of the saurian-like vehicle. Shinji stood up.

"Well... It can play dead," Shinji quipped. "Need anything else done while I'm out here Misato? Urban renewal? New parking lo-WOAH!" Jet engines activated on the mecha, and it flipped over, sending Unit 01 slamming into the street. "OOF!"

_"Asuka! Rei! Close in!"_ Misato ordered.

"There's not enough room to maneuver, we're-" Shinji began, before a radiological alarm went off in Central Dogma. "What's that?"

_"The unit is powering up! N2 reaction!_" Maya shouted. The mecha maneuvered around, and a turret emerged from the back of the mecha. Shinji's eyes widened.

"Oh shit-!"

A positron blast left the cannon, slamming into Shinji's AT Field. The energy of the shot spread out, super heating the air and causing more fires to break out. Shinji winced.

_"REI! ASUKA! Take it down!"_ Misato shouted. The booming voices of Eva-sized firearms rang out through the canyons formed by the skyscrapers. The shots tore into the engines of the mecha, and the roar of the jet engines abruptly died. The mecha slammed back into the street, and Shinji took the chance to pounce on the saurian.

Shinji immediately crushed the positron turret before slamming his fists into what looked like it's eyes. The thing looked up and fired the turret on it's chin, machine cannon shots bouncing uselessly off the armor. Shinji took hold of the firing turret and yanked it right off. He then beat the head of the machine as hard as he could, until the advanced metallic construction came apart in what might be considered machine gore.

_"Shinji! Stop!_" Misato shouted. Shinji froze, and pulled back, carefully watching the enemy mecha.

"Haa... Haa... Haa... Geez," Shinji sighed. "Is it dead? Or broken...? Whatever."

_"The N2 reactor is online, but otherwise it's not functioning,"_ Ritsuko reported. _"It's good you stopped when you did. Too much more and the reactor might have been punctured..."_

The back of the machine popped open, and something like an entry-plug ejected from it. Shinji's eyes widened and he switched to infrared, scanning the tube.

"Uh... Misato?"

"_We see it... It looks like the pilot's still alive,"_ Ritsuko said.

"_We're sending in the recovery teams. Shinji, you will plug back in and drag the machine to this recovery point outside the city," _Misato ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Shinji replied.

_"Asuka, move in to assist. Rei, keep them covered,"_ Misato ordered. _"Oh, and Shinji?"_

"Yes Misato?" Shinji asked.

_"The maintenance cycle on the communications system is over,"_ she cheerfully replied. Shinji froze.

"... Ah... Can't we talk about this?"

_"It would just be delaying the inevitable, Shinji,"_ Ritsuko pointed out.

"What can I say, I try to keep the pain from off-duty activities separate from the pain of on-duty activities," Shinji said.

_"In that case... I think you mentioned something about a g-string?"_ Misato continued with a grin. Shinji sighed.

_Well... Least it's not whipped cream... Again._

_

* * *

_

_Author's Note: Yes, the canonverse is including _Girlfriend of Steel:_ It's part of the Evangelion franchise metaverse so for the purposes of this story it counts. Sorry about the lie about Shinji meeting You-Know-Who from that game (no, not Voldemort), but it'll happen next chapter. Besides, you got to see Canon!Shinji sexually harassed by a bevy of hot women: At least unlike the canon verse there is not a Fan Service shortage, right? ;) _

_Well, at least not the kind of fan service that becomes disturbing in hindsight... Anyway. I fully expect to lose some readers over this. I mean hell, a talking Pen Pen with a knife, a hot American OC who has a major crush on Shinji? _Girlfriend of Steel?_ I'm pissing off a lot of people today. __Still, you should have seen the rough draft: It included a poor man's Scott Pilgrim as an Eidolon pilot._

_Speaking of: Technical specifications of the Eidolons are something I am willing to do if anyone is really that interested. Pictures? Well, I have no artistic ability so I would have to rely on others to manage that. And bios on the OCs, but again, I'd need someone else to do the artwork. Again, if anyone is really that interested.  
_

_Okay, enough of my babbling. I can do more of that next chapter. Speaking of:  
_

_Next chapter: Both Shinjis return to school and must adjust to the changed, er... Curriculum. Meanwhile, both Gendos contact old friends for help. And King!Shinji begins to learn just what the geopolitical situation really is...  
_


	5. Chapter 5

Castling

_Andrew J. Talon_

* * *

_**KING**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

The rest of the night consisted of getting the giant mecha out of the city and to a transport rail system to get it to the NERV base at Matsuhiro. The JSSDF would provide security for the mecha for the rest of the night. While there were concerns it might prove dangerous, the fact that it's legs were gone, it's weapons crushed and it's engines had been destroyed made it unlikely the Evas would be needed-Still, it would be monitored closely. After getting the damn thing out of the city limits with as much care as Shinji would give to moving a couch. Which meant more than a few windows were busted and several vehicles were crushed. A few NERV hovercraft evacuated the pilot and carted him (or her) to the hospital.

It took over three hours to get the mecha out and set up, and by that point Shinji was exhausted. He felt as though he was literally running on auto pilot, as he docked Unit 01, shut it down, and ejected his plug. He got out and walked to the showers, quickly washing himself off, getting back into his pajamas and wandered out. Misato was waiting, Rei and Asuka with her.

"Good work Shinji," Misato complimented him.

Shinji mumbled something, but was interrupted by Asuka's growl.

"When did you get a higher synch ratio than me?"

"Dunno," Shinji replied. He yawned. "I mean I'm-OOF!" Asuka had grabbed his T-Shirt and yanked him so her angry eyes filled his vision. Shinji blinked.

"This is bullshit! How the _fuck_ did you get a 50 point jump?"

"... You're angry when you're beautiful," Shinji replied, nonplussed.

"STOP MAKING FUN OF ME!"

"That's enough Asuka!" Misato separated the two physically. "Now, I'm tired. I want to get to bed. If you two have any problems with that, I can put you in the brig!"

"Right. Brig bad," Shinji said. He looked over at Rei. "Maybe we should sleep with Asuka, keep her company. Like teddy bears."

Asuka's jaw dropped. "Wh-Wh-What?"

Rei blinked. "I... Do not understand."

"Cuddling changes people's minds. I should know. You should know. Everyone knows," Shinji mumbled. He yawned again. Misato sighed.

"Come on, bedtime for all of you." She herded the three pilots off. "Rei, you can stay with us for the night because I'm not driving out to your apartment this late... Or early."

"Yes Major," Rei replied softly.

"She sleeps with me," Shinji said. Rei blushed again, which make Asuka's mood even worse.

"You WOULD want the doll warming your bed," Asuka sniped, her ego screaming for blood. Shinji nodded.

"She sleeps with me too."

Misato sighed and held Asuka's hands away. "Asuka, don't strangle Shinji."

"He-he-!"

"You were fine with him flirting with you at dinner, be fine with him flirting now, that's an order," Misato growled.

Asuka growled back, but relented. She grumbled the whole way home, kept in the shotgun seat for Shinji's protection. When they pulled in, Misato looked back at the backseat of her car.

"Shinji, we're home..." She paused. Rei's cheeks were bright red as Shinji's head rested on her shoulder, snoring away. A snicker escaped Misato's mouth at the sight, and shook her head.

"We can just dump him in the trash," Asuka sneered.

"Enough already Asuka," Misato said flatly. She grinned. "Though it does give me an idea..."

Rei's eyebrows rose.

* * *

_Shinji found himself in a train, the sun setting in the distance. It cast an orange glow over the whole of the compartment, and the Eva pilot winced._

Geez that's bright...

_He looked around the compartment, spotting two other people in it: A younger version of himself, and Rei in her school uniform. He blinked._

_"... You know, my usual dreams aren't quite so..." He thought about it, "... Meta."_

_"You don't belong here," his younger self said. Shinji blinked._

_"Well, neither do you, since you're me. And I'm me." He looked over at Rei. "What have you got for me?"_

_"Are you going to run away?" Rei asked._

_"No... And why aren't you naked? Or at least in something skimpy? That's how these dreams usually go..."_

_"Is it?"_

_Shinji looked to his side and blinked. A pale boy with red eyes, gray hair and a creepy smile sat next to him, dressed in a school uniform. Shinji blinked._

_"... Okay, the little me is probably my inner child. Rei is... I dunno, my incestuous urges or stuff, I've never quite figured that out. You though... Are you my latent bi-sexual urges or something?"_

_The boy's smile slipped. He blinked. Shinji blinked back._

_"... My inner bishonen? I mean, you're not necessarily gay but..."_

_"... You are strange," his inner child pronounced._

_"You're very interesting," the boy said, creepy smile returning in full force._

_"You are... Not yourself," Rei concluded._

_"I am confused," Shinji stated. "And kind of pissed off. If there aren't going to be any naked women in this dream, I'd prefer to wake up."_

Shinji blinked. He was in his bed, a warm body cuddled up next to him. A naked body, if his sense of touch was working.

He looked down. Rei was sleeping up against him, looking extremely cute. Shinji then looked at the ceiling and gave it a smile.

"Well... It's a start..."

* * *

"He's not even reacting right! This was a stupid idea!" Asuka hissed to her guardian as they spied on Shinji through a crack in the door. Misato shrugged.

"I guess next time, we'll all have to sleep with him."

"WHAT?"

Misato rolled her eyes. "Can you go back to enjoying him flirting back with him?"

Asuka growled. "You don't understand!"

"Yeah yeah, I know," Misato muttered. "Look, if it makes you feel better the next Angel we fight, I'll let rearrange your mind to make _you_ a stronger pilot, all right?"

Asuka rose and gave her guardian a haughty expression.

"Yeah, like that'll ever happen..."

* * *

Breakfast was a relatively quiet affair, primarily due to how Shinji whistled cheerfully the whole time without so much as a hint of embarassment. Asuka kept shooting deadly glares at Rei and Shinji, but her efforts were ineffective due to the fact that Shinji kept his back to her the whole time, and Rei was... Well, Rei.

Once they were away from Misato and walking to school, however...

"So, you sleep well?" Asuka asked snidely. Shinji shrugged.

"Pretty well. Weird dream though..." He smiled and winked at Rei. "You made it all worth it though."

Rei's cheeks again blossomed into color. This just served to piss Asuka off even more.

"Did you enjoy feeling up the Doll, you pervert?" Asuka demanded.

"It was not my idea to-" Rei began.

"SHUT UP!" Asuka shouted. Shinji raised an eyebrow.

"Not your idea? So..." He looked at Asuka. He grinned. Asuka snarled.

"What's that for?"

"Ah, er, nothing," Shinji said quickly, holding up his hands. "Look Asuka, you don't have to be so jealous-"

"JEALOUS?" Asuka growled. Shinji coughed, and looked to Rei for assistance. The blue haired girl stared back.

"Ahhh... Well... OH LOOK! Touji and Kensuke are sneaking into the women's bathroom!" Shinji cried. While most of her anger was directed at Shinji, there was plenty of divine wrath to be meted out by the Second Child and she turned to look.

Seeing nothing, she turned back just in time to see Shinji grab Rei's hand and run for it.

"BAKA SHINJI! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Asuka roared.

"Must run away! Must run away! Must run away!" Shinji cried. Rei, still confused, nevertheless matched Shinji's speed as they ran for the school. "Rei, remind me to be a little more delicate when it comes to handling Asuka," he told her in between breaths.

"I will endeavor to do so," Rei replied.

As they approached a corner, a girl-shaped figure stepped out in front of Shinji. Given he was talking to Rei at the time, he was able to look ahead just in time to see her surprised face as he slammed into her.

"OOF!"

"AAH!"

Shinji groaned. _Ow... Ow... That hurt... I think something broke my fall... Wow, these are really soft and... And..._

"Uhhh...!"

Shinji opened his eyes. He was staring into a green pair of eyes, set in a pretty face that was slowly turning red. Shinji looked down at his hands, which were resting on her breasts.

_Jesus, am I going to do this to every girl I meet?_ He inquired. The Son of God seemed to answer with a punch to the side of his head.

"OW!"

_Geez, okay God! Okay! I'm off! I get the picture, I'm sorry! ... Wait, why does God look like Asuka?_

"What the hell is wrong with you? Can't you keep your damn hands to yourself?" Asuka demanded. She looked to the girl and gave an imperious snort. "You all right?"

"Ah... Y-Yes, I'm fine," the girl said with a wince. She looked over at Shinji. "Are you all right?"

"You're asking _him?_" Asuka demanded.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm really sorry..."

Shinji blinked. He blinked again.

"Mana?" He asked. Mana stared back, surprise written all over her face.

"Ah... Yes, that's my name," she said. "What's your name?"

"Shinji Ikari. Sorry again," Shinji said. He stood up and offered her a hand up. She took it, slowly standing. She gave him a smile.

"It's okay... Accidents happen," she said with a shrug.

"Wait, you _know_ her?" Asuka asked. Shinji coughed.

"Ah, Kensuke leaked that there was going to be a new transfer student name of Mana, never seen this girl before, and I leapt to the conclusion that she was the new transfer student. I mean, that's how it works right? The transfer student is always some cute mysterious girl?"

"How do you know I'm mysterious?" Mana asked, a little smile on her face.

"Well... Um... I figured it would be, you know, three for three," Shinji quickly covered. "Cute, girl, mysterious."

"And you base this on... Us?" Asuka asked flatly. Shinji shrugged and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Oh, well, yeah... That's kind of how it goes, right?"

"... There is a pattern," Rei said. Asuka snorted.

"Yeah, if you confuse mysterious with 'boring' in your case," she sniped. She smiled proudly and offered her hand to Mana.

"Asuka Langely Soryu! Welcome to Tokyo-3 Middle School!"

"Yes... Thank you," Mana said, gingerly taking the redhead's hand and shaking it. Asuka's smile grew. Shinji guessed she was delighted at someone knowing the Western expression.

_Okay... Mana's a mysterious transfer student, who doesn't know me. Interesting... I wonder if Mari's the same way?_

The bell rang. Asuka huffed.

"See what you did Third? We're late. Come on," she ordered, leading the way to the school. Shinji, Rei and Mana followed. Shinji glanced over at Mana, who was studying him intently. He glanced back at Rei, who wore a similar expression.

They made him rather nervous, as did the look of the school ahead for a moment. It was precisely the same but what if there was something key he was missing?

"Hey Shinji! Hey!" He looked at the gate and saw Touji and Kensuke waiting in front of the entrance. He grinned and waved back.

The school couldn't be that different, right?

* * *

_**ROOK**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

Shinji groaned and rolled over, his eyes slowly opening. His eyes focused on the ceiling above him, directed by long nurtured habit as was his waking up. In the darkness of the early morning, it looked no different than the ceiling he'd been under for the last several months. A sinking feeling developed in his gut.

_A dream... It was all a dream,_ he thought, his shoulders slumping down. Something his subconscious created to try and cheer him up, not knowing that when he woke up the high he was on would crash back down into depression.

_Maybe I hate myself, too,_ Shinji thought, slowly sitting up. He looked around the room. Nothing immediately stood out as particularly different to his eyes, reinforcing his belief he'd been torturing himself.

He sighed, and pulled the covers off to go and prepare breakfast. He slid open the door.

"Good to see you're awake, Sleeping Beauty," said Pen Pen dryly.

Shinji stared. He reached up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and resumed staring.

"I... It...?"

"Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus," Pen Pen said mockingly.

"What?" Shinji asked, not getting the reference.

"Nevermind. Look, I need you to do something for me," Pen Pen said. Shinji sighed, a feeling of resignation coming over him.

"How am I talking to a penguin any...?"

"It'll help you out too, kid," the penguin stated flatly. "And it's very simple." He pointed a clawed flipper at the doorway across the hall. "Go in that room."

Shinji stared. "But... Why-?"

"It's going to help you out, kid. Just get going!" Pen Pen growled quietly. Shinji sighed, nodded, and walked across the hallway. He opened up the door and stepped inside. His eyes slowly adjusted... Which is why it took him so long to see such a heavenly sight.

"Uwah...?" His jaw dropped and his cheeks turned bright red. It was hard to blame him-Cuddled up to each other, the bed sheets tightly wrapped around their svelte bodies, slept Asuka and Rei. From the bare flesh hinted at in between gaps in the blankets, there didn't seem to be a stitch of clothing between them.

The door shut loudly behind him, and Asuka stirred. Shinji's back hit the door, as his excitement turned to all out panic.

_She's going to kill me fucking penguin she's going to kill me fucking penguin she's going to kill me fucking penguin she's going to kill me...!_

Her blue eyes opened, and locked onto him with a sudden clarity after sleep part of him envied. The redhead blinked... And then sighed.

"You've only got an hour before we have to get up," she said softly. Shinji's fear turned to shock, which didn't help his motor control whatsoever.

"I..."

Asuka frowned as she sat up, the blankets falling away and revealing her breasts. Shinji's eyes forcibly locked onto the two developing but already perfect orbs as they swayed slightly from her movement.

"I-I... I'm sorry..."

"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Asuka said flatly. She paused, and looked intently at him. "Unless... It's something you've forgotten too."

Somewhere in the mess his fear and confusion had made of his mental processes, Shinji was able to put together a nod. Asuka sighed.

"Come on, sit down," she said. Shinji kept staring. Asuka glared.

"Sit," she hissed, as Rei stirred next to her. The albino girl let out a sigh as she scooted closer to Asuka. Shinji walked, slowly, to the right side of the bed to avoid sitting on Rei. He sat down, hands in his lap, as he tried very hard to keep his eyes on Asuka's face. They kept wanting to go down-Either to Asuka's breasts, or to Rei who was now snuggling against Asuka's thigh.

_Oh God oh God oh God..._

"Would it help if I said we've seen you naked just as many times as you've seen us naked?" Asuka asked quietly.

"N-No,'" Shinji admitted. Asuka sighed.

"I guess the fact we sleep like this all the time wouldn't help much either, huh?" Asuka asked. Shinji felt faint.

"Okay okay, sorry," Asuka said. "Look... What do you remember?"

"... I-I don't know," Shinji said. He was so tense, expecting her to lash out and hit him like before. That she was so calm, it was... It was unreal. Somehow, he was still being surprised and shocked by this world. At some point he'd thought he might get used to it... But this...

"I mean," he managed to speak again, "I-I remember you, and Rei, and Misato, and Eva, and my father... Most of it but it's so... So different." He sighed. "I wondered if I was going crazy... Now though, it... It's hard to... To..."

Asuka reached out and rested a hand on Shinji's shoulder. His eyes locked onto her hand, and then followed it up to her shoulders. In the dim light, he could see scars on them. Like some animal had clawed into her soft flesh on both sides, marring her perfect skin with dark, angry marks.

"What... What are those?" He asked, shocked at this sight. Asuka didn't even glance at them. She sighed softly, and looked up at Shinji.

"You would forget that, wouldn't you?" She asked softly. "Idiot." There was no venom in her remark-It was almost affectionate.

"I... I never..." He tried, but Asuka moved her hand off his shoulder to rest lightly on his lips. He froze.

"I guess I can just tell you about it, until it sounds familiar," Asuka said quietly. Rei shifted again, the blanket wrapped around her moving just enough to expose the tops of her breasts. Shinji felt faint again, but a light tap of his chin by Asuka got his attention back on her.

"Okay," Asuka began quietly, "when SEELE was made public last year, Germany sided with them. NERV Berlin didn't. They sent the army to surround it. Pretty much the _entire_ German army." She looked up. "My father wasn't willing to let them take us... Take me... So he ordered me to go out in Unit Two. To clear a path for the base personnel to get out. The Americans still had a base in Germany, and the French military was, at the time, siding with us. Both of them were scrambling everything they could to help us out. I just needed to break through." She took a deep breath and looked away from him, towards the door. Shinji continued to stare, but for reasons unrelated to her breasts.

"So, I got in and was launched. SEELE though... SEELE knew my father would try something like this," Asuka said with the intake of a deep breath, "and so they sent in their own forces."

For a moment, Shinji swore he wasn't in the apartment anymore, but somewhere else. A clear blue sky overhead, the sun shining down, and nine white monsters descending from on high on wings, heading for Asuka who sat on the ground. It lasted only a second, so briefly he might not have noticed it at all if not for the cold terror that had risen in his gut. The fear. Fear of the birds, fear for Asuka... He didn't know. Maybe it was both.

"... Evas?" He asked softly. Asuka shook her head.

"Not Evas... Not real ones, anyway." She closed her eyes for a moment in thought before reopening them, locking her gaze back onto Shinji. She didn't quite meet his eyes though. "They... They were Russian-built mecha. Like Jet Alones, really early versions of them. Nuclear powered. Nine of them."

"Nine?" Shinji asked. Asuka nodded.

"I think they were some kind of... Of Cold War project they started, but couldn't finish when the Soviet Union fell apart. It was pretty clear they were put together with the purpose of stopping the Evas... I think they knew people in NERV were going to resist them. They had... Had organic parts, grafted onto them. Cloned from Adam."

"Adam?" Shinji asked. Asuka nodded.

"The First Angel. They found him in Antarctica, after Second Impact. It's what they used to clone my Eva. It's what they used to clone their Evas." She sighed. "The reactors made them able to regenerate, kind of like Angels. Not as well since it wasn't super solenoid but... Well enough." She lifted a hand to her shoulder and grasped it unconsciously, pushing her breasts up.

"I couldn't just smash them apart-If I did that, the reactors would melt down and kill everyone in Berlin. And my AT Field... It was tough to use that too with how they were attacking me, enmasse."

She caught his eyes, just for a moment, before she gave him a tight smile. "I won anyway... Defeated every one of them. Not a single one melted down. But the synch ratio for my Eva... It was too high. I..." She squeezed her shoulder. Shinji stared in silence for a second, before he rested his hand over hers. She looked at this for a moment, then back to him.

Asuka then smiled. Genuinely smiled, with warmth and affection. He felt his throat tighten at this, and the obvious hit him through the storm of fear and confusion.

_I'm welcome here... She's comfortable around me... She trusts me..._

"It's all right... They don't hurt anymore."

"Y-Yeah... But still..." Shinji said. Asuka sighed, and squeezed his shoulder back.

"... Look, Shinji... I know it's tough right now, but I need you." She blushed a bit, before she clarified that with, "I need you to focus. I need to know I can count on you, because we've got a lot more fighting to do before we can win this thing." She looked him in the eyes, piercingly.

"Can I count on you?"

"... Y-Yes! Yes, of-of course!" Shinji replied, a smile appearing on his face. Asuka nodded back.

"Good... And maybe this time around you can obey my orders?" She asked with a disapproving tone, though she kept her smile to alleviate any fears. "Not go running off playing hero?"

"I... Well..." Shinji nodded. "I-I'll try."

Asuka sighed. "Guess that's the best I'll get out of you, huh?"

"He is very heroic. It is his nature," Rei said quietly. Asuka narrowed her eyes as Rei slowly sat up, carelessly letting her sheet slip off her body too. The look in her eyes reminded Shinji that he was in a room with two attractive girls he cared for a great deal and both were in bed naked.

"I should give up trying to tell when you're faking sleep," she sighed. Rei smiled. Asuka huffed, and looked back and forth between them as she withdrew her hand from Shinji's shoulder.

"All right... Now get breakfast made Lieutenant, unless you want to keep staring at our tits."

Shinji gulped. "W-Well... Um..." He nodded. "Yes."

"Yes you want to keep staring at our tits?" Asuka asked dryly. Shinji nodded again. Asuka smirked evilly.

"Well, in that case~..." She turned to Rei, cupped her face between her hands, and kissed the other girl full on the lips. Shinji found himself losing his balance, and he collapsed as his senses were overwhelmed. Asuka's head soon peeked out over the edge of the bed, and she smirked.

"Guess that Angel really took it out of you, huh?" She asked. "You had better work on that stamina, Ikari, if you want to last long enough to have fun in the future."

Shinji had fainted many times in his life since becoming an Eva pilot. This, however, would be the first time he'd ever fainted with a smile.

* * *

Gendo Ikari was a convincing, persuasive man when he had to be, Richard Bonhomme reflected. It took a lot to get the CEO of one of the largest companies on the planet onto a sub-orbital shuttle to Tokyo-3 from New Los Angeles for a private meeting.

The fact they were friends helped a great deal. The kind of friendship forged in youth with promises through broken teeth to stand by each other, with the battered bodies of their foes lying on bar room floors. The American chuckled, indulging in a bit of nostalgia as he rose from his seat on his plane.

Those days were so very simple. The fate of the world was not hanging around outside their rooms then, changing with every decision. The weight of the human race was not upon their shoulders.

Still... It made him feel as though his life was not wasted back then.

He descended the stairs run up to the hypersonic plane with a pair of sunglasses on. The eternal summer as a result of Second Impact ensured the tarmac had heat rising from it, baked by the sun's power.

As a result, the dark forms of Gendo and his wife stood out in front of the pale VTOL, as did the NERV symbol, a blood red on the the dull military gunmetal of the vehicle. Richard's aide and bodyguard, Ms. Friday, followed behind, the click of her smart heels barely audible over the roar of the engines.

"Not much time for pleasantries, huh Gendo?" He shouted as he got within a few meters. Gendo smiled, even as his wife rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Is there ever?" Gendo shouted back. He turned as a technician opened the hatch on the VTOL. Gendo helped Saeko into the vehicle. Richard offered the same assistance to Ms. Friday, but the strawberry blonde woman ignored it and ascended into the vehicle cabin, strapping herself in without any needed assistance from the crewmember. Richard shared a sympathetic look with the chastened crewman, and allowed him to strap the CEO in without the slightest bit of lip.

"We're all set, sirs and ma'ams!" The crewman said. He shut the hatch tightly and moved up to the control cabin above, sealing the internal hatch between them. The VTOL shuddered slightly, before ascending with the kind of grace it was designed for-That of a bird in the air.

_"Commander, ECON is enabled. ETA to first waypoint is twenty-five minutes,"_ said the voice of the pilot over the intercom. Richard smiled wryly across the cabin at Gendo.

"Gone to a lot of trouble to take me on a VTOL ride," Richard commented.

"At least this time you're not piloting," Saeko observed with a smile. She kissed Gendo's cheek, which the Commander of NERV accepted with an apologetic smile.

"It was Shinji's ninth birthday," he said. "I think a little celebration was called for."

"Not the kind that gets pictures of you both taken in Toudai's swimming pool... _With_ the plane," Saeko said. She looked over at Richard. "How are you, Richard?"

"Oh, reasonably well," Richard said. "Eidolon program is humming along. The new carriers are online: _Armstrong_ and _Lovell_." He smirked. "I figured it was about time Congress honored Navy men who did little things like going into space and landing on the moon, rather than Congressmen who just happened to donate a sufficient amount of funds for their little pet projects-"

"Rant detected. Please desist, Mr. Bonhomme, or disciplinary action will be taken," Ms. Friday informed him in a pleasantly deep female voice. The woman stared at him with machine-like precision, and Richard sighed.

"Mayumi has taken to programming," he explained.

"Even of your gynoid secretaries? Whatever for?" Saeko asked with a dry tone. Richard smirked.

"I think it's another stage in her efforts to find me a wife," he admitted with a roguish grin. "I won't go down easily though."

"Resistance is futile, Mr. Bonhomme," the blonde gynoid informed him. Richard winced, and sat back.

"Well, that little unpleasant bit out of the way... Gendo. What did you call me for?"

"... Unit 01 was switched with another while inside the Twelfth Angel," Gendo said without preamble. "From another universe."

Richard sucked in a deep breath, and shook his head. "God... That's quite the thing to hit me with."

"Did he have a goatee?" Asked Ms. Friday.

"No," Gendo replied in a deadpan tone. Saeko raised an eyebrow at Richard, who shrugged.

"Blame my daughter. It's what I do." Richard chuckled. "Nah, I'm kidding. I love her to death but I am not getting married just because my gynoid secretary is bugging me about it."

"You're going to risk her getting even more creative?" Gendo asked, faintly amused.

"Of course! It's the same approach my father took with me! Got my first patent out of it, which was handy given how high the medical bills were," Richard said cheerfully. "But back on topic: The Dirac Sea had something to do with it, I'm guessing?"

"Dr. Akagi thinks that while the Twelfth Angel of this universe was creating the Dirac Sea, the Twelfth Angel in the other universe was also creating one. They met at the same time within it," Gendo explained. He reached up and adjusted his glasses-A nervous habit. "Given that the only way the Angel could have generated that with it's S2 organ..."

"You want me to get an S2 organ to you so you can try to replicate the experiment," Richard surmised. Gendo nodded.

"Yes. Unfortunately, there's only one S2 organ that will really fit the bill."

"Oh?" Richard asked, curious. "Which one?"

"The one recovered from the Fourth," Saeko said.

"Hmm... What makes you think the other NERV would come to the same conclusion?" Richard asked.

Gendo closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. He deflated just a little.

"Because... From what we've observed of this Shinji's behavior, they're going through with _my_ old scenario."

The temperature in the cabin seemed to drop by a few degrees, as Richard felt a chill go down his spine. "Then...?"

"Yes," Saeko said, grasping her husband's hand. "They're going ahead with Third Impact in that other world."

Richard was silent for a few moments. He worked his jaw. "Then... If we send him back, we'll be sending him into a place where everyone is his enemy. _Including_ you," he said.

Gendo nodded. "I know."

Richard stared at his old friend. "... Shouldn't we do something about that?"

"Like what?" Saeko asked bluntly. "We're fighting our own world war right now-Or will be when the last Angel is dead. I'm not a military expert but it's hard to see how we could hope to take on _two_ world wars at the same time."

"Yeah, but he's your _son_," Richard pressed. "He'd be going back to a world that's going to be destroyed."

"Yes... And my son is there right now, all alone," Gendo replied quietly. He managed to meet Richard's gaze, and he could see the conflict within the eyes of his friend. Richard sucked in another deep breath. He thought of himself as adaptable, as fluid, as flexible and open minded. One had to be to keep up in this world, but this...?

He was a parent too. Not a conventional one, but he knew exactly how he would be feeling if it was his little girl out in that other universe right now.

Richard looked at Saeko, whose gaze dropped for a moment but stubbornly met it. It wasn't easy for her either, but out of fear she was hardening up. Just as she always did. Stubbornness when it came to someone she loved. For a moment, Richard felt a stab of envy at his old friend. For having someone who would stand up like that.

He saw their hands squeeze together, and Richard admonished himself for his selfishness. That was the old Richard. He wasn't that kind of guy any more...

"We think," Gendo said, "we can help him... Help him fight. And there's no telling what Shinji... _Our_ Shinji might do in that world. He knows about SEELE. He knows enough not to get caught. And if it's the same plan then Unit 01 is still the lynchpin to the whole scenario." Gendo forced a look of sheer determination and confidence to his eyes. "If it comes down to it, he can stop Third Impact."

Richard stared for a moment, silently analyzing the situation and his friend's reactions. He came to the same conclusion: Slowly, sullenly, but there it was.

They had no choice.

"All right," Richard said. "I can convince the brass that before full S2 production can take place, we need to run more experiments on the Fourth Organ. It'll take time though: Given Tokyo-3 is basically Ground Zero..."

"I know," Gendo said. "But you can do it. That's all that matters."

Richard gave him a hurt look. "I haven't been demoted from a Friend of Virtue to one of Utility, have I old friend?"

"Virtue: A word seldom associated with Mr. Bonhomme," Ms. Friday interjected. Richard rolled his eyes as Saeko tried to hide a smile.

"I swear, I will ground that girl... Someday."

"You always were a sucker for women. What made you think it would be any different with your daughter?" Gendo asked with a little smirk.

"We can still marry our kids," Richard said. "I think that would solve _many_ problems."

"You haven't even provided a proper dowry yet," Saeko said in a hurt tone. "What kind of people do you take us for?"

"Compassionate friends?" Richard said. "Besides, imagine how much hilarity you would get out of their marriage."

"Not as much as we're enjoying from you," Gendo said.

"You're a cruel man, Gendo."

"It's why I have the big chair," Gendo said, pushing up his glasses, smirk still firmly in place.

* * *

_The last scene is later in the day of the King universe, which we will explore in the next chapter. I'm going to jump around a little in time of day for these next parts. _

_I'm going to stop doing the whole "next chapter" thing because then I'll just feel like I'm lying to you guys more. I'm already tricking you into thinking I'm a good writer, any more deceit and I'll be reaching Iago levels. The villain from "Othello", not the parrot from "Aladdin"._

_Sorry this chapter is so very talky, there are going to be a few of those. It's character stuff, it'll pay off later. Promise._


	6. Chapter 6

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

* * *

_**KING**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

The meeting room was filled with quiet murmuring and discussion, just as it usually was before Misato and Ritsuko showed up, but the tone was far different from when there was an Angel overhead. Two mysteries had popped in-One courtesy of an Angel but for the moment, non-life threatening, and the other courtesy of man.

Misato sat down in her usual chair, and Ritsuko joined her as the conversations died and the technicians gave their leaders their full attention.

"All right, what have you got for me?" Misato asked.

"The pilot of the unknown mecha is stabilized. He's about fourteen years old, male, DNA scans haven't come up with any matches yet. There is some swelling in his temporal lobe due to the damage suffered by the fight with Unit One so for the time being he's unconscious," the representative from the medical section reported, an older woman with her hair held back in a tight bun.

"What are the chances of waking him up?" Misato asked.

"We're going to try a regenerative LCL bath therapy, hopefully it will bring him around," she said. "But it'll take at least six hours before I'm willing to allow him to be interviewed."

"That kid did pilot a machine that did serious damage to the city," Aoba commented with a grim expression. Maya cleared her throat.

"Yes, but from what we've been able to get from the machine, it wasn't his fault."

"How so?" Misato asked. Maya turned her laptop around and displayed some familiar graphs, though for a moment it was hard for Misato to place where she had seen them before.

"Neural interface?" Misato asked. Maya nodded, pleased.

"Yes! The mecha uses a neural interface system, very much like our Evas, to control it," Maya said. "The data recording systems were heavily damaged, but we were able to pull a few pieces of data."

"And they reveal?" Misato asked.

"That the neural interface was causing a neuro-chemical imbalance in the brain of the pilot," Maya revealed. "The interface was inducing abnormal neurotransmitter production throughout the pilot's brain, leading to a delusional state."

"So it was driving him crazy?" Misato asked. She looked at Ritsuko, who immediately caught on.

"There's no risk of that happening with our pilots-The Eva's neural interface system is much more refined and advanced than this version," Ritsuko said. She took a drag off her cigarette and released it into the air of the room, joining the smoke of the other technicians. "This version is... Well, it seems like a bad copy of the interface system GERHRIN originally developed for Unit 00."

Misato knit the fingers of her hands together, placing them in front of her mouth much like the Commander. She thought carefully. "Was any of that technology released outside of NERV?"

"None," Ritsuko said. "The theoretical basis behind most of the technology we use is available for academic research, of course. Working from scratch you could arrive at many of the same conclusions in development of the technology from the theory, but..." She shook her head. "This is too close to the prototype system to be a coincidence."

"So we have a security leak," Misato sighed. "Wonderful."

"You know," spoke a voice most unwelcome to Misato's ears, "I could look into this with my contacts in the JSSDF. Any large scale military projects like this can't be too easy to hide."

Misato turned a scowl at Kaji, who had pushed forward out of a dark corner of the room upon speaking. He gave her a smile. "We could always do it together, Misato-chan."

"I think that's a good idea," Ritsuko immediately added before Misato could retort. "Ibuki, Aoba and Hyuuga can work the technical side with you while you two work the people side." She gave Misato a little smile as the violet-haired woman turned her deadly glare on her.

"And what will you be doing?"

"I have to look into Unit 01," Ritsuko said smoothly. "The Commander feels it needs to be more thoroughly examined after spending so long inside the Dirac Sea."

"I wasn't informed about this," Misato said in cold fury. Ritsuko looked away, resuming her smoking.

"No, you weren't. It's a technical matter and that is what delegation is for, is it not Major?"

Ritsuko didn't need to look to see just how pissed off Misato was. In fact, she wagered the only reason she hadn't been physically struck by her "best friend" was because of Misato's military discipline.

"Ah, Sempai, I would like to work with you on Unit 01," Maya informed her. "It's probably better to have two working on this rather than one, given..." Here Maya paused for a moment, and Ritsuko looked up to catch her gaze. The younger woman's was one of intense seriousness.

"Given _how much_ data there is to actually go over," Maya said with careful emphasis. Ritsuko didn't react outwardly, but inwardly she felt the tiniest hint of a chill.

"Of course," Ritsuko said. "Major, if you would permit me to-?"

"Yes," Misato said flatly. "Ibuki, work with Akagi. Get to it."

Ritsuko nodded, knowing when to take a hint. She rose and headed out the door, Maya only a few steps behind her. She chanced a glance backwards, a hint of weakness, but Misato was already moving onto the next topic. Ritsuko mentally sighed.

_She's just too attached to him_, Ritsuko thought. _Glad I don't have that weakness_.

* * *

Maya didn't actually say anything until they were in her lab, and Ritsuko had engaged the appropriate security measures. Ritsuko was grateful for that-More and more Maya was demonstrating her great intelligence to her with every Angel. Her great potential...

_Stop that,_ she told herself. Out loud she looked at Maya with her usual patient expression. "Well?"

Maya stood up straight and managed to meet her mentor's eyes. "Sempai, I was going through the operational data for Unit 01 before it was locked down. I found a large number of discrepancies."

Ritsuko nodded. "I'm sure you did."

"… This is more than just a case of mental self improvement," Maya continued carefully. "I mean, the components, the wear on the materials-Even the armor style of Unit 01 has all changed!" She took a deep breath. "The only explanation I can come up with that makes any sense is that this… This is _not_ our Unit 01, nor _our_ Shinji Ikari."

Ritsuko nodded again. "You're right. It isn't. You can understand why we'd keep this quiet, don't you?"

Maya nodded. "Yes, I do, but… Well… What are we going to do?"

"Well, we're going to need to look through the mission recorders before we do anything else," Ritsuko informed Maya. Maya nodded.

"I want to see it as well."

"Curious?" Ritsuko asked with a slight teasing tone to her voice. Maya's cheeks flushed, and she nodded.

"W-Well, of course! Who wouldn't? That… That Unit 01 came from an entire other universe. If that Shinji is a result of that universe's differences, what else is different?"

Ritsuko smiled. _So eager… So curious…_ It made her feel simultaneously sick and appreciated. The former emotion was easily ignored-It's how she got to work every day, after all.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one to be that curious," Ritsuko commented. She sat down at her computer station, and unlocked the appropriate data logs. Maya pulled another chair up and sat down next to Ritsuko. The head of Project E looked through the files, and nodded with a smile.

"Well, it looks like we're at least in that other world," Ritsuko said. "This programming has our fingerprints all over it. Which means, accessing the recorders should be as easy as pressing… This button."

A video window opened up, and both women sat back a bit to watch.

* * *

"And so with the collision of the asteroid, Second Impact was initiated, raising the sea levels of the entire planet. The rise across the planet resulted in billions of deaths due to the fact that most humans live with 100 kilometers of the ocean..."

_Wow... A class that's boring. It's hard to imagine it, but now I don't have to_ Shinji thought flatly. Not a day had gone by since moving to Tokyo-3 where his classroom experiences had been anything but entertaining.

Then again having chemistry taught by Russian Spetnaz skilled in improvised explosives, history taught by a hilariously depressed Japanese philosopher, and math taught by a very, _very_ sexy former US Air Force colonel, among other colorful members of the faculty, had probably spoiled him.

As he looked around though, it became obvious that this teacher was having the same effect effect on them as on him: Intense, mind numbing boredom. Only Hikari seemed to be paying any real attention, and he suspected it was only due to her iron will she was able to manage it. Asuka was playing on her laptop, Mana was reading a book, Touji and Kensuke were talking softly in the back, and Rei was staring out the window directly ahead of him.

_Guess I'll have to make my own entertainment,_ Shinji decided. Rei being right in front of him offered considerable possibilities, which he decided to take. He leaned over her shoulder, his eyes right on the largest tree outside. Rei turned to stare at him.

"Ikari, what...?" She asked.

"Hello Tree. I know you're tight with Rei and all, but I was just wondering if you'd be okay with me dating her?" Shinji asked. He got a nice big blush out of the pale girl, but managed to hide his smile.

"I am a teenaged boy, I have to admit, but I'm perfectly trustworthy. I'm sure if you gave me a chance, I could be really good for Rei. What do you say?" Shinji continued with a charming smile.

"... Maybe?" Said a male voice near his head. Shinji blinked.

"... Trees can talk? That's so AWESOME!" He whispered.

"... That was Aida, Ikari," Rei said softly. Carefully. Shinji looked at her, then back at Kensuke. The bespectacled boy and Touji were both staring at him.

"... So, Tree can't talk?" Shinji asked.

"Uh... Shinji, Kensuke was joking," Touji said, slowly and carefully. Shinji blinked and frowned.

"So... I can't date Rei?"

Rei's cheeks turned crimson, though she was able to hide this from Touji and Kensuke by looking down at her desk. The two boys looked at each other, and then looked over at Asuka, who was watching the clock with considerable impatience.

"... What the hell did you _do_ to him?" Kensuke asked flatly.

"Me?" Asuka asked flatly. "I didn't do _anything_." She was waiting for lunch, waiting for Shinji's bento. She felt herself drooling at the thought.

"No talking trees, no dating Rei? This sucks..." Shinji sighed, sitting down. At a cleared throat, he looked up at Hikari's concerned face. Actually, there were a lot of concerned, confused and disbelieving faces, all staring right at him.

"Shinji? Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh, hey Sar-Er, Hikari. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not being disruptive am I?" Shinji gave her a charming smile. That got a blush out of her, but she was made of sterner stuff. That was just one reason he found her so attractive.

_Touji you are a moron for passing her up,_ Shinji thought. _Still, better than having Mari jumping me in the entry plugs._ He liked her well enough but she was just so... _Intense_. He wondered if she even existed in this universe.

"You're... Kind of ranting," Hikari said, interrupting his thoughts. Shinji held up his hands.

"Sorry. Sorry!" He called to the teacher. "Sorry Sensei, really."

"Ah… Quite all right, Mr. Ikari," the teacher said. "Just don't let it happen again."

The lunch bell rang. Shinji gave Hikari a warm smile as the other students rose to leave. "Oh, one other question: You doing anything for lunch?"

"Why?" Hikari asked. Shinji shrugged.

"Well, I thought we could eat together. You know, talk, socialize, bond. Make innuendos about Kensuke's relationship with his camera."

"What?" Kensuke nearly shouted. "I-It-There's nothing weird about my relationship with Kasumi! Nothing!"

"... You named it Kasumi?" Touji asked.

"Y-Yeah... So? What of it?" Kensuke demanded, glaring. Shinji raised his hands.

"Kidding, kidding!" He looked over at Mana as the other students began to filter out. "Hey Mana, you want to have lunch too?"

"Ah... Certainly," Mana said with a smile. Shinji smiled back cheerfully.

Asuka snorted. "Shinji! Did you make my lunch?"

"Of course my dear Asuka," Shinji said cheerfully. He took Rei's hand and pulled her along. "Come on Rei, I made you lunch too you know!"

"You did not have to-" Rei tried.

"Of course not! But I wanted to."

Mana, Rei, Hikari and Asuka all headed out, looking for all the world like Shinji's harem. Kensuke and Touji stared after them for a moment.

"... You know, maybe the Angel didn't mess with his mind. Maybe he's just on drugs," Touji suggested.

"... Snide comments about Kasumi aside, I kind of like him like this," Kensuke said.

"You really named it?" Touji repeated in mild disbelief. Kensuke huffed.

"I'll have you know I've spent more money on this camera than I have any woman!"

"That's... Sad Ken. Really sad."

"... It sounded better in my head..."

* * *

Mana stuck close to Asuka as they made their way, not to the cafeteria as she had expected, but towards the grounds outside. Shinji excitedly chatted with Rei as they went along, talking what exactly he'd prepared for her and how he'd cooked it all up. He also threw in teasing that always seemed to elicit a blush out of the pale girl's cheeks.

"Now, I don't know how many tomatos you eat but they're good for you, so I included a few of them in your meal. They go well with your eyes, though not as beautiful of course."

Asuka huffed. "Commenting about her eyes, Third? That's original."

Shinji turned away from the blushing albino to Asuka. He got up into her personal space, to the point his nose was almost touching hers. That got a severe blush out of the normally irate Second Child.

"Would you like me to talk to you about your eyes, Second?" Shinji asked with a smile and a wink.

It was so cheesy and ridiculous that Asuka was tempted to laugh. But her pride reasserted itself and she glared death at him.

"I mean, I could go into epic poems about it. Don't know much about the Japanese tradition, but I think your eyes are worth an _Illiad_ or two," Shinji said.

"The _Illiad_ was a tragedy," Asuka pointed out flatly.

"Well, we haven't traveled enough for the _Odyssey_ yet," Shinji said. He wrapped his hands around hers and held them up. "Though I'd be willing to ignore sirens for a chance to see you again, you know."

"Odysseus did father other children on his trip though," Hikari pointed out, loosening up enough to make the joke. Shinji sighed and gave Asuka puppy dog eyes.

"You wouldn't turn me away for being too manly for just one woman, would you?"

Asuka huffed and shoved him back. "'Manly' isn't something I associate with you."

"My heart, it breaks! I guess I'll have to find my solace elsewhere," Shinji said dramatically. He took Hikari's hand and kissed it, bringing red to her cheeks, before he embraced Mana and spun her around in a bit of a dance, doing the same. He grinned at Asuka as he released Mana, and offered a gallant bow.

"Am I going to get to eat lunch any time during this show?" Asuka practically snarled.

"Yes dear," Shinji sighed. They sat down in a circle, soon joined by a disbelieving Touji and Kensuke who kept staring intently at their best friend. He rummaged around in his school bag, and produced a bento. He handed it to Rei.

"One vegetarian special for Rei," Shinji said. "One Asuka's favorite, and one bento for me." He looked up at his friends and smiled. "Shall we?"

Asuka dug into her food, trying to keep herself from expressing her pleasure given her anger. However, she couldn't stop a sensuous moan from escaping her lips as she tasted it the wonderful symphony of flavor serenading her taste buds. Enough so that Kensuke and Touji blushed, but immediately averted their eyes when she looked their way.

"I take it... He's not like this normally?" Mana asked softly of Touji. The jock shook his head.

"No... Frankly this is freaking me out," he whispered to her.

"It is kind of like aliens messed with his mind," Kensuke murmured.

"So Asuka are you enjoying your lunch?" Shinji asked.

"Fine," Asuka bit out through a moan. Shinji looked over at Rei.

"How's your food, Rei?"

Rei looked almost sad that her bento was totally gone. Shinji blinked, surprised again, before he turned to the only other person who had made their own lunch. "Hey Hikari, wanna try some of my lunch? I'd like to try some of yours," he added a little wink to that. Hikari missed it though as she was watching Asuka practically orgasm over her food. She slowly turned to look at him.

"Um, sure," she said. Shinji smiled, scooted up until his knees bumped into hers, and raised up a portion of his food in a pair of chopsticks.

"Open wide," he said cheerfully. Blushing, Hikari complied, and Shinji popped the food into her mouth.

"Ohh...ohhh..." Hikari's eyes seemed to sparkle. "Shinji, that's _wonderful!_"

"Oh, I just practice a lot," Shinji said modestly. "Mind if I try some of yours?"

"I'll trade my lunch for yours," Hikari said.

"Not without me having a taste, I hope," Mana interjected quietly. Shinji smiled, and got out another portion on his chopsticks.

"Of course, Mana. Here you go." Mana leaned over and wrapped her lips around the chopsticks, pulling the whole portion into her mouth eagerly. Kensuke and Touji watched in silence as she moaned around the food.

"Ooohhh... Th-That's good," she sighed. "Can I share with you, Horaki?"

"Uh... Certainly," Hikari replied, taking Shinji's bento reverently. Shinji took Hikari's bento and happily dug in, giving it's cook a warm smile.

"It's really good Hikari!"

"Oh... Thank you," Hikari got out, blushing deeply.

This display of incredible charm was starting to convince Touji and Kensuke that their friend was seriously messed up. However, being Shinji's friends and guys, they were simultaneously impressed, envious, and strangely okay with him acting in a manner unlike a wet blanket.

Still, Kensuke didn't think he could take this much more moaning without a trip to the bathroom so he decided to get Shinji talking about something else.

"So Shinji, how'd the last Angel battle go?" Kensuke asked. Shinji paused in his eating, and offered his friends a shrug.

"Aw, you know, the usual. Fell into a vast empty void, was nearly driven insane by hallucinations, saved the world. Same old same old."

Asuka growled under her breath. Kensuke leaned forward, an eager look in his eyes.

"Sooo... Any word on when you'll need a new pilot?"

"How about never?" Asuka snorted derisively. Kensuke looked hurt.

"Aw, come on Shinji! How could I be any worse than a guy with no training! No offense Shinji," Kensuke said quickly. Shinji shook his head.

"Kensuke, it's not really my department..."

"Just looking at you presents a slew of horrific scenarios," Asuka said.

"Kensuke... I'm really trying to help you out here. You don't want to pilot an Eva, trust me," Shinji said.

Shinji's transformation from cowering hedgehog to Casanova was even more proof that piloting Eva eventually made dreams come true. So Kensuke wasn't going to give up easily.

"You can put a good word in for me, right? I'm dedicated! I'd never, ever, _ever_ slack off, I promise!"

"God. The last thing we need is for more greenhorns thinking they can pilot a giant robot," Asuka said flatly.

Shinji took a deep breath, sighed, and looked intently into Kensuke's eyes with an air of command.

"Kensuke, look: You're my friend. But... Let's just say I have the feeling that if you got behind the controls of an Eva you would probably cause more damage to the city than to Angels." He paused and thought about it. "And possibly nuke a mall."

"Nuke a mall?" Kensuke asked, blinking. Shinji nodded.

"Yes. Possibly." He shifted his gaze to the class representative, who was trying not to be greedy by finishing his bento herself. "Now Hikari here, she has the makings of a pilot."

"The class rep?" Kensuke cried in disbelief.

"I do?" Hikari asked with a blush at the praise.

"Well, yeah. You're responsible, you're focused, you're dutiful, you can keep a schedule..." He cast a knowing look at Kensuke. "And you won't be tempted to fire off a positron laser downtown."

"What's that look for?" Kensuke asked, mystified. Shinji raised his hands up defensively.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"You have to admit Kensuke, it is probably something you'd do," Touji said with a little smirk. Kensuke shot him a glare.

"I would not!"

"Besides, Hikari would look better in the suit," Shinji said.

"The suit?" Mana asked, tilting her head curiously. Shinji nodded.

"Oh yes," Shinji said reverently. "Skintight suit to allow us to connect to the Eva. It's all neural interface-based and all. And naturally, these two look unbelievably sexy in theirs," Shinji said, jerking thumbs at Rei and Asuka. Rei blushed once again at the praise, having just gotten her cheeks to their usual pallor. Asuka smirked.

"Damn right I do," she said, casting a heated look at Shinji. Shinji however missed it.

"Wait, you mean that thing you wore... _They_ wear it too?" Touji asked, his own cheeks turning red. Kensuke was covering his nose as he looked between all four girls with them. It wasn't hard to see what he was thinking of, and Shinji couldn't really blame him.

"Yes... And so would Hikari and Mana. That's also an important part of saving the world: Looking good while doing it," he said with utter seriousness.

Hikari flustered, Mana blushed and looked aside. Shinji smiled.

"You're saying I wouldn't look good saving the world?" Kensuke asked, offended. Shinji shook his head.

"No, I'm just saying you wouldn't look as good as they would," he soothed.

"I can live with that," Touji said with a smile.

"Me too," Kensuke added.

"Perverts," Asuka said, sticking her tongue out at them both.

The bell rang again, announcing the end of lunch. Shinji stood up and collected the empty bentos, handing Hikari's back to her. The freckled girl blushed and smiled warmly at him, something he returned in spades. He then felt a hand clasp around his, and looked to see Mana standing there with a shy smile.

"Shinji...? Um... If you wouldn't think it was too forward, would you like to go on a date some time?"

Asuka, Rei, and Hikari all seemed to freeze in their tracks at this question. Touji and Kensuke, not being entirely dense, recognized that the other three girls were at the very least unhappy about something, as they turned their faces to look at Shinji and Mana. Asuka was scowling deeply, Rei's expression was positively glacial, and Hikari looked... Almost hurt?

"Sure! Sounds like fun," Shinji said cheerfully. The tension in the air positively skyrocketed, and Shinji coughed.

"Ah... A nice, _friendly_ date. How about I pick you up at five, on Saturday?" Shinji said. Mana's smile grew.

"That sounds wonderful!" She took his phone, inputted her number into it, and handed it back to him. "Just call me and tell me where you want to meet, okay?"

"Certainly," Shinji said. With a quick glance at the others, Mana moved within Shinji's personal space and delivered a kiss to his cheek.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said quietly, before turning and walking back into the school. Kensuke and Touji watched her go, and slowly turned their gaze back on Shinji, who was looking at the other three girls.

"Think we should run?" Touji murmured.

"He kind of got himself into it," Kensuke said. Touji nodded.

"I kind of wish he could teach us how he got into it before he dies."

"If he gets out of it, we can ask," Kensuke suggested.

"Good idea."

The two retreated, as Shinji looked between the three girls. He shrugged and smiled.

"She's new, she asked, it'd be rude to turn her down, right?"

"... Yes. Rude," Rei said quietly.

Asuka looked away with a small growl. "If you want to go out with her, you can. What does it matter to me who you spend your time with?" She shot him a furious glare, and Shinji could see violence was a distinct possibility in his future. Shinji coughed.

"Ah… Right…"

"Er... She seems very... Nice," Hikari managed. "I mean, er, it's very nice of you to do that."

"Well... Um... Thanks," Shinji said. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "So... Hikari, I'm going to invite you, Kensuke and Touji along for dinner tonight. Interested?"

"What for?" Asuka asked flatly.

"To celebrate the prevention of another extinction level event, of course," Shinji said with a smile, looking over at Rei. "Always a good reason for a party in my mind."

"... Yes, of course," Rei replied. Shinji grinned.

"Great!"

"Will your guardian be all right with it?" Hikari asked.

"She'll take any excuse to party," Asuka snorted derisively. Shinji smiled and nodded.

"And so will I! Ladies, shall we?" He headed off back into the school, leaving three very tense girls behind. They all looked at each other.

"... Well, um, I'll see you both there then," Hikari said with a smile. Asuka grunted. Rei was silent.

"... Good..."

"Class rep? Are you coming in?" Called another student, breaking the tension between the three girls for a moment. Hikari nodded furiously.

"Oh yes! Of course!"

"Of course," Asuka growled.

"Of course," Rei said.

Slowly, all three walked back into the school, gazes shifting between each other.

* * *

_**ROOK**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

"Shinji! Hey, Shinji!"

Shinji turned to look at the source of the voice echoing off the walls of NERV's corridors, and smiled. "Touji? What are you doing here?"

The tall jock grinned at him as he walked up, clad in his own plugsuit. "Ah you know, joint training between the pilots. I've got to get in more flight time on the new model. Ai's been having teething problems, something with the wings feeling..." Touji thought about what word to use. "Well, it's hard to figure out the words but they feel heavy."

_And I didn't understand... Any of that,_ Shinji thought. At his confused look Touji laughed and shrugged.

"This whole thing's still really freaky to me. I don't see how you got used to it."

"Ah... Piloting? I um... I don't think I'm used to it," Shinji said. Touji shrugged, then wrapped his arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. "Or I'll ever get used to it, really."

"Well, come on. You've got time before Captain Shinigami trains the fuck out of you, right? I want you to see Ai's new upgrades!" Touji said with a grin. Shinji blinked.

_Ai? His sister? What's he talking about?_

"Uh, but I don't have much time-" Shinji said, feeling even more confused.

"Make the time, Shinji. Besides, you haven't seen her in a while," Touji said. "She's always happy to see you, and _you're_ always happy to see her." He narrowed his eyes. "Right?"

Shinji nodded quickly. "R-Right! Right..."

Shinji's confusion just got worse as, instead of the medical section of NERV as Shinji had expected them to head, they went towards the Eva cages. They passed Unit 01 as it was being shipped to the test hangar, and past a dark green Eidolon being refitted. Shinji stared at it long enough for Touji to catch it his eyes. The older boy sighed.

"Mari's is still in the shop."

"Uh... Right... Mari... Why?" Shinji asked. Touji snorted.

"You know her. Always rushing off headfirst, happy to charge right in... Oh great, they're giving the damn thing a _new_ lance," Touji sighed. Shinji looked up and saw a massive lance descending on an armament elevator, technicians maneuvering it into place on the Eidolon's arm.

"New...?"

"Yes. She _shattered_ the last one against SEELE's last wonder weapon," Touji sighed. He scratched the top of his head. "Exactly how am I supposed to protect her if she insists on going off to get herself killed every time something shows up?"

"I... Protect her...?" Shinji asked. Touji blinked. "Uh... I'm still fuzzy from the Angel. Messed with my mind," he quickly explained. Touji nodded.

"Ah... Well, you know, foreign girls are hot... But they're all _nuts_, you know? She wanted to go blow shit up on our first date, can you believe it? Went right to the JSSDF's base, got a tank... I mean, okay, it was fun but after a while I wanted to just go and talk and... Ah, screw it, you've got enough problems in that area," Touji said with a smirk.

"I do, huh," Shinji said, though it wasn't a question. He felt almost resigned. They moved on, passing into another section of the cages. Shinji's eyes widened.

What stared back at him seemed like an old-fashioned devil mixed with an Eva. From it's mass, he guessed it was an Eidolon, but it's face resembled Unit 01's. Instead of a single horn though, it had two, curving away from the sides of it's head upwards. From it's back were two curved spines, rising like folded bat wings. The fingers of the thing were pointed, like claws. The entire thing was painted blood red and black. Emblazoned on it's shoulders were the words **NERV ABMU-06 ASMODEUS**.

"Uh... It... What...?" Shinji tried. Touji grinned.

"Ai's new paint job... Pretty fucking scary, huh?"

"Y-Yeah... It is," Shinji said.

"The new stuff's supposed to make her easier to fly low. Kind of embarrassing, a couple of times I lost control. Still, the hellfire will make anyone who talks shut up. Isn't that right, Ai?" Touji called. The biomech said nothing, but... Something in the air changed. Shinji wasn't sure what, but the Eidolon became a little less... Threatening.

"Hellfire?"

Touji grinned. "Yeah... Plasma-based flamethrowers. That'll fuck up anything that gets close."

"Well... It's certainly very nice," Shinji replied. Touji raised an eyebrow at him.

"... Nice, yeah," he said, a strange look in his eyes. "... Um, look Shinji, you don't have to tell me anything, but you know, if you want to talk about this-"

"No! No, I-I'm fine. Yes. Fine," Shinji admitted. He forced a smile at the demonic biomech. "Ai looks great... I'm sure she'll do well." Touji nodded approval, and slapped Shinji on the back.

"Yeah..."

_"Shinji Ikari, report to the test hangar immediately. Shinji Ikari, test hangar. _Immediately," Asuka's voice sounded over the intercom. Touji smiled.

"Your First Wife awaits."

"She is not my wife," Shinji replied quickly, blushing. Touji grinned.

"You're right. 'Mistress' seems more appropriate."

"Oh shut up! Seriously... I'll see you at school... And um, I'll visit Ai afterwards, how's that?" Shinji asked. Touji nodded.

"Sounds good... See you!" He waved as Shinji headed off quickly. Touji turned and looked back at his Eidolon.

"You were strangely quiet around him," he observed. The Eidolon's eyes lit up briefly, and Touji frowned.

"Not himself...?"

* * *

This test hangar was someplace Shinji had never been before-In his NERV anyway. The walls were old and badly maintained, the cables connecting to his Eva seemed worn. He wasn't one to really be bothered by it, he supposed, but Shinji was confused as to why he'd be in this section.

_"Something wrong, Shinji?"_ Misato asked over the communications system. Shinji looked up.

"Huh? Oh, um... No. I was just wondering why we're in this section."

Misato shrugged. _"Well, we've only got so many test hangars. We're running a sim involving at least five biomechs after all-Not all of them can be perfectly maintained."_ She winked at him through the holographic screen. _"If it's bothering you, we could delay it long enough for you to clean it up... Maybe in a maid's outfit?"_

"Er, I-I'm good," Shinji said. Misato pouted. Ritsuko established a comm link, looking quite professional aside from the lollipop she was sucking on. Another blush came to Shinji's face.

_"All set, Shinji?"_ She asked. Shinji nodded.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

_"We're done with the set up and we've loaded the program,"_ Ritsuko said.

_"Which program is it?"_ Misato asked. Ritsuko smirked.

_"Gendo 42A."_

"Gendo 42A?" Shinji asked. Misato smirked.

_"Yes, your father created it. So it should be... Interesting."_ She cleared her throat as she looked over something on another screen. _"Okay: Three hours ago, a powerful force took over the Alexandria Orbital Station. They have indicated they intend to strike NERV directly with it's mass driver, and have full control over it's laser weapons. They also appear to have several mecha, perhaps Jet Alone level, all equipped for space to space combat. Angel-based weapons are a possibility but we don't know if they have them for sure. Your objective is to destroy the mecha protecting the station and offer support to the assault shuttle carrying troops to retake it, prevent it from firing it's weapon, and do all this without destroying the station itself."_ Misato looked up at Shinji. _"Any questions?"_

Several came to mind, but when Ritsuko shook her head, he gulped and nodded.

"N-No."

_"Good. Good luck, Shinji."_ Misato's window closed.

"Space?" Shinji squeaked. Ritsuko sighed.

_"Relax Shinji, most of it is handled automatically. Also, Hikari is going to be flying in this session and she's our best pilot in the air and space. Just follow her lead and you'll be fine."_

"But-But I've never been in space!"

_"No. You haven't,"_ Ritsuko said, amused. _"Don't worry-If you screw it up, you'll just have to try it again. Sims give you second chances-Real life doesn't."_

"I..." Shinji slowly nodded. "All-All right."

_"Okay then. Good luck."_ Ritsuko closed the window, but her voice continued to be heard in his entry plug. _"Simulation start in three... Two... One..._"

The entry plug transformed, and Shinji now seemed to be outside. The Eva was restrained, like when it was on the catapult to be launched to the surface. Rather than the sled that sent him rocketing into battle with Angels though, this was a rocketship. Behind him stood Unit 02, similarly locked in. Shinji took deep breaths, calming himself before Misato's voice came over the communications system.

_"Okay, everyone ready?"_

_"As ready as I'll ever be,"_ Asuka commented wryly.

_"All right... Launching in five... Four... Three... Two... One... Zero!"_

"GAH!" Shinji was slammed down hard, like he was being launched on the catapult below NERV. The gee forces were massive as the rocket motors went off, lifting the two Evas up and shooting them towards the sky above.

Shinji tightly gripped the reins of the Eva and closed his eyes, taking quick, sharp breaths against inertia. He didn't know how long it was before the forces faded, but when it did, he opened his eyes and took in a deep gasp of LCL.

"Haa... Haa...!" He stared out. The great expanse of the Earth greeted him below, defined by the sharp blackness of space. His mouth was wide, taking in great lungfuls of oxygen. He couldn't take it all in.

_It's... It's beautiful..._ He thought.

_"Look alive, Ikari,"_ Asuka's voice broke. _"We're going to be in range of the station's lasers in the next ten minutes."_

"Right," Shinji said. "Right... Where's Hikari?"

_"She launched ahead of us on a higher trajectory,"_ Asuka said. _"Hang on, I've got her... She's maintaining radio silence."_

A holo-window opened in front of Shinji's eyes, and he was able to just barely make out a small black shape against the darkness of space.

_"Now, this is going to be by the book,"_ Asuka said. _"Once we detach from the launch vehicle, the N2 batteries will give us an hour's worth of power. Full combat mode will burn out the power faster, so keep an eye on it."_

"R-Right," Shinji said. _She's so... Professional here. Kind of like Misato... My Misato..._

_"NERV-02 is going to be launching a rocket with extra power packs to rendezvous with us in fifty minutes, so we need to finish this before then. When we get the power packs, we can descend through the atmosphere with our AT Fields on an automatic trajectory, and just have to let the parachutes activate. Very simple,"_ Asuka concluded.

Shinji nodded. "Right. Simple."

_"Okay... We've got the station in view,"_ Asuka said. Shinji looked up, and as he did he spotted what looked like a small wheel turning above them, with a long cylinder attached to the bottom. Warnings went off.

_"AT field! Now!"_ Asuka ordered. Shinji released it, just in time for a bright flash to erupt above him. The Eva shook from a great force, as though they had been struck by a fist.

"Nngh...!" Shinji winced. He looked up, blinking spots out of his eyes. "What was that?"

_"The Pharos cannon,"_ Asuka said.

"Pharos...?"

_"It's a reference to the Pharos of Alexandria, a lighthouse that was... Look, it's a giant laser gun, we need to take it out!"_ Asuka said. _"Now Hikari is going to draw their fire. I'll use my AT Field to protect us while we're decelerating, you fire on the cannon."_

"Right," Shinji said. The restraints on his Eva's arms detached, and he raised them up. In one hand was a gun-From the writing on it, it appeared to be a laser gun. He held it up, and pulled down the targeting visor.

_"Shinji, this is NERV. We're processing the targeting data and feeding it to your visor for a targeting solution,"_ Ritsuko said. _"Just do it like you've trained and you'll be fine."_

"Understood... Line up the target and fire... Line up the target and fire," Shinji murmured to himself, the familiar mantra comforting as he took careful aim. The visor zoomed in, and he was able to see what he assumed was the cannon.

It looked like a large, white eyeball with a golden iris, mounted on a turret that was attached to the very end of the cylinder section of the station. Bright light flashed in his eyes again, and the Eva shook violently.

"Nngh...!" The visor adjusted to a view that made it look as though the station was just a collection of wireframe models. The targeting reticules, spinning in their animation, slowly moved to center on the turret.

They took another hit, a much harder one. Shinji could swear the LCL heated up around him.

_"Ergh...!"_ Asuka groaned over the radio.

"Asuka? Are you okay?" Shinji asked urgently.

_"I'm fine, focus on your job!"_ Asuka ordered.

_Come on, come on, come on..._ Shinji thought furiously. His heart seemed to be beating in his ears. The targeting reticules glowed bright red, spiraling around the turret. The cannon turned and seemed to look right at him. The Eva shook again furiously.

_"Ungh...!"_ Asuka groaned. The targeting reticules became a single one, and turned bright green. Shinji pulled the trigger, and his laser rifle flashed.

However, a dark shape moved in front of the cannon, taking the hit for it. Shinji gaped in disbelief.

"What the...?"

Great arms lowered, revealing an almost Eva-like face, save for the red visor across it's eyes. Sleek and well formed save for the large pack on it's back and it's bulky arms, the mecha stared back across the gulf of space. For some reason, this focus filled Shinji with dread.

"Asuka, what is that?" Shinji asked.

_"... It's a Dreadnought, Shinji,"_ Asuka informed him calmly. _"From this morning."_

_This morning...?_ Shinji realized it, and his fingers tightened around the reins of the Eva.

Outside the simulation, Unit 01's eyes glowed red very briefly...

* * *

_"Missiles incoming!"_ Asuka shouted. _"AT Field to maximum!"_

Dozens of missiles erupted from the black mecha, and Shinji managed to shake himself out of his disbelief soon enough to boost their defense. Multiple impacts shook their Evas, as the numerous warheads detonated against their fields.

_"Damn... Hikari! Can you hit that thing?"_ Asuka shouted.

_"I'm a little busy right now, Asuka!"_ Hikari called back. Shinji looked up and grimaced-Other robots, matching the Dreadnought below, were firing from the ring. She was dodging rapidly, trying to avoid the fire desperately.

_"The habitat section is heavily protected. We can't fire on it or we'll kill the crew,"_ Asuka mused. Shinji looked up.

"Is there anyone in the cylinder part?"

_"... Nope,"_ Asuka said, a grin in her voice. _"NERV! How much fuel do we have left in this thing?_"

_"Enough for one last burn, but if you do it you'll have trouble getting back down-"_ Ritsuko said, but she was interrupted.

_"Let us worry about it! Hit it full burn as soon as we detach! Ready Ikari?"_

"Ready!" Shinji said. "But how are we going to get to the station if we det-?"

_"We've still got our momentum from the launch. Okay... Three... Two... One!"_

Shinji felt himself come loose from the launch vehicle, and he pushed away carefully. He looked up as the launch vehicle's engines started up again, and quickly it shot off right for the cylinder. The Dreadnought hit it's own thrusters, raising it's arms up. Another volley of missiles left it's body, all shooting out in a single barrage.

_"Shinji, hit the damn thing! Fire!"_ Asuka shouted. Shinji locked on with the laser rifle and opened fire, shooting several laser shots. Parts of the armor lit up brightly, repeatedly, as Shinji kept plugging away to try and punch through the outer skin of the robot.

He only stopped when the launch vehicle exploded in a bright flash from the missile impacts. Shinji grimaced.

_"Full burn Shinji! Come on!"_ Asuka shouted, hitting her thrusters and shooting through the growing debris cloud. Shinji followed suit, and when the Mecha-Dolemite reappeared from the shrapnel he locked on again.

Just then another bright flash flooded his vision, the AT Field reacting to the immense power. Shinji winced, and focused on keeping the blast from punching through.

_That's a lot of power... What does this station run on anyway?_ Shinji thought.

_"GAH! You son of a bitch!"_ When the flash cleared his eyes, Shinji spotted Asuka, now trading blows with the black mecha directly and swearing up a storm.

_"Shinji! Something's wrong, he can generate an AT Field-!"_ A blast from the ring of the station "above" lanced down, striking the unprotected Unit 02.

"ASUKA!" Shinji shouted. He looked up and saw a biomech descending, jagged rocket motors attached to it's shoulders. It just enhanced the other horrific aspects of the black Evangelion, especially it's leering grin.

"No!" Shinji responded by firing it's weapon at the Evangelion, which took the hit and returned fire. Now that Shinji's AT Field was neutralized, however, he too was vulnerable. "ARGH!"

Carried by the momentum of the initial launch, Shinji twisted and spun from the shot as he slammed into the side of the station.

The hull seemed to move underneath him, and a large clawed hand reached out, took hold of his face, and yanked him inside, throwing him across the weightless interior of the cylinder into an interior bulkhead. "Ungh!"

Shinji turned around slowly, clumsy in zero gee. The Dreadnought facing him raised an arm and unleashed a laser blast. Shinji's AT Field was still neutralized, so the blast connected.

"AUGH!" And hurt, as pain screamed through the neural link across his face. He covered it with a hand, panting for breath. Another laser shot hit, and Shinji cried out again. The Dreadnought walked over, it's feet sticking to the metallic hull of the station as it closed the distance and rammed a fist into Unit 01's face. Again and again it pummeled Shinji, each blow transferred, feeling totally real. Shinji's grip on the control reins tightened until the plastic that composed them groaned.

"Stop it... Stop it... STOP IT!" Shinji roared, reaching up and grabbing hold of the arms of the Dreadnought. He crushed it's forearms and then tore them clean off by spreading Unit 01's arms. Blood, or something like it, gushed out into the vacuum, boiling away in the extreme temperatures of space.

Unit 01 lunged forward, kicking off the bulkhead and tackling the Dreadnought into another. Retaining his grip on it, Shinji punched the face of the Dreadnought in, the Eva's mighty fist smashing it apart into a cloud of floating gore and scrap metal. Shinji only stopped when an energy blast came through the bulkhead behind the Dreadnought, blowing them both back.

The enemy mecha had taken the majority of the blast, but Shinji had still felt every moment, and gritted his teeth as the dark form of the eyeless Evangelion entered. It threw the head of another biomech, which smacked into Unit 01's face.

"Haa... Haa... Haa..." Shinji stared, his heart racing as he stared into the eyes of Unit 02. "You... Asuka... You...!"

That this was a simulation was forgotten. That this wasn't real was forgotten. The pain, the fear, the horror-It was all the same. Shinji felt raw hate flow through him, and Unit 01, gravity or no gravity stood up.

"You... YOU...!" Unit 01 roared, somehow audible in a total vacuum. Shinji lunged for the Evangelion, which fired its beam weapon repeatedly, blasting through Shinji's armor. The pain of these shots just added to his rage, and burning hands grasped the shoulders of the Evangelion as the full mass of Unit 01 slammed into it.

Both were sent through the hull, tumbling out into the empty vacuum. Shinji's hate directed Unit 01 to bite down on the Eva's eyeless face. Unit 01's fingers dug into the shoulders of its foe hard enough to make it bleed. The Eyeless Eva responded by firing it's thrusters, directing the heat of the blast into Shinji's face.

"RRRGGGHHH!" Shinji cried out, fighting against the pain. He felt his grip slip, slacken... And finally loosen as the force of the exhaust forced him away. Shinji glared through blinded eyes, something somehow telling him where his foe was.

_Asuka... Asuka... Asuka...!_

The blindness faded, just enough to make out the form of the Faceless Eva.

_NO! You're not getting away, you're NOT GETTING AWAY!_

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING _AWAY!_" Shinji bellowed, and everything in front of him went white.

The light faded, slowly, but it soon became apparent he was no longer in space. He was back in the training hanger.

... Or rather... What was _left_ of the training hangar. The ceiling of the Geofront was now visible above him, through a very large hole that went all the way to the surface. Shinji stared up at it dumbly.

_"Shinji! SHINJI! Respond! RESPOND!"_ Shouted Asuka's voice over the radio. _"IKARI!"_

"Uh... A-Asuka?" Shinji asked.

_"What the hell happened?"_ Asuka demanded. _"I lost contact with you when you got hit-Misato? Ritsuko?"_

_"We're here,"_ Misato said. _"Ritsuko? What the hell just happened?"_

_"... Unit 01 just did a lot of renovation,"_ Ritsuko commented dryly.

Shinji looked around at the ruined training hangar, and then up at the large hole he'd made. Pretty much only one thought ran through his mind, which made its way to his mouth.

"... Oops..."

* * *

_Before anyone asks: No, King!Shinji is not a Gary Stu. Just because he's a flirt doesn't mean he's sleeping with every girl there. He's not building a harem… Intentionally. He's just a better adjusted Shinji Ikari, that's all. Of course, if you think I've screwed up everything then by all means, stop reading. It's not that good anyway._

_Eh, enough of my self-centered moping. __Now, enjoy an omake:_

_**An Alternate Training Program**_

_Come on, come on, come on..._ Shinji thought furiously. His heart seemed to be beating in his ears. The targeting reticules glowed bright red, spiraling around the turret. The cannon turned and seemed to look right at him. The Eva shook again furiously.

_"Ungh...!"_ Asuka groaned. The targeting reticules became a single one, and turned bright green. Shinji pulled the trigger, and his laser rifle flashed.

However, a dark shape moved in front of the cannon, taking the hit for it. Shinji gaped in disbelief.

"What the...?"

Great arms lowered, revealing a silver face with black paneling in a few areas framing burning green eyes. The mecha was nearly all back, save for white and silver stripes running across its chest, it's wrists, and it's ankles. Atop its head was a great black sphere, with an almost hair-like texture.

It took Shinji a second to realize that with the markings on it's face and the orb atop it's head, it looked like the robot had a beard, sideburns, and...

"An _afro?_" He asked in disbelief, at the same time Asuka did. A radio transmission came in from the giant robot.

_"FOOLS! You rat soup eatin' insecure mutherfuckas think you can take me? The world shall KNEEL before the might of..."_ The robot struck a dramatic pose. _**"MECHA-DOLEMITE!"**_

Shinji wondered if his Eva's jaw could drop, because he didn't think _he_ was closing his mouth any time soon.

Maya giggled. "Maybe next time, we can have them fight the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!"

Saeko sighed. "I really need to watch what Gendo is exposed to…"


	7. Chapter 7

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

* * *

_**KING**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

The mission recorder opened with a view from Unit 01's eyes, showing the inside of the hangar bay. A smaller window in the lower right-hand corner showed Shinji sitting in the entry plug, strapped in, looking over the various systems of the Evangelion. A window of equal size in the lower left-hand corner showed the interior of Central Dogma, Misato standing behind the Bridge Bunnies as she was wont to do during combat, arms crossed under her breasts.

_"Pilots, Misato. _Enterprise's_ drones have used every sensor they could on the Angel, and our own systems are having trouble figuring out what the trick to this one is,"_ Misato's voice came over the radio. Shinji frowned.

_"So other than it being a giant floating zebra ball, we're in the dark?"_ Shinji's voice asked.

_"Pretty much, yeah,"_ Misato said, a tinge of humor in her voice and a wry smile on her lips.

_"Wouldn't be the first time,"_ Asuka commented. _"Recommend we let it reach the center of Tokyo-3 before launching, then power up on the surface and open fire."_

_"Agreed,"_ Misato said. _"Ready the positron rifles in sections 45B, 32G, and 18A for catapult deployment. Lock onto the center of the sphere and fire, full stream."_

_"Roger,"_ Shinji replied. The view from Unit 01's eyes zoomed out as the biomech was moved to the launch rails. Shinji rolled his neck a few times, as a third miniature window opened up above the view of Shinji himself. It showed Rei's face. The strangest part was her small smile.

_"You are nervous?"_ She asked. Shinji smiled back.

_"Nah. It's a giant balloon, how much trouble could it cause?"_

_"That is what you said about the last Angel, and Ritsuko-mama had to destroy it while we sat in an entry plug, naked, in the middle of the lake,"_ Rei replied. Shinji huffed.

_"Yeah, but that was a computer virus Angel... Thing. This is the good kind of Angel: A giant monster."_

_"I thought I was the good kind of Angel?"_ Rei asked with a teasing smile. Shinji smirked back.

_"No, you're _half_-angel. You're in an entirely different category."_

A fourth miniature window opened between Rei and Shinji's windows, showing an irate Asuka.

_"If you're going to flirt back and forth like a pair of horny teenagers-"_

_"We _are_ horny teenagers,"_ Rei deadpanned.

_"Would you prefer I flirt with you, Captain?"_ Shinji asked innocently. _"I mean, if you're jealous-"_

_"I am NOT jealous. You are free to be a total and complete idiot when you're off duty, Ikari. While you're on duty, I expect you to rise to the occasion and at least _pretend_ you're not an idiot,"_ Asuka said flatly, blue eyes flashing with anger. Shinji stared for a moment.

_"Can you repeat that last sentence?"_

Asuka's scowl deepened.

_"Ikari, I expect you to rise to the occasion and at least _pretend_ you're not an idiot._"

_"... I am so turned on right now,"_ Shinji said with absolute seriousness.

_"As am I,"_ Rei said, still in monotone.

_"Oh shut up!"_ Asuka snarled.

_"All right, enough of that, save the threesome for later,"_ Misato chided lightly. _"At least until I can get a camcorder."_

_"But then it will turn into a foursome,"_ Rei said.

_"I always knew she'd turn into a shotacon. She just had that way about younger men,"_ an older, violent haired woman standing next to Gendo commented softly. Misato spun around, her face hidden from the camera but it was likely she was blushing.

_"MOM!"_

Gendo chuckled, lowering his hands. _"That's my boy."_

"Pause," Ritsuko ordered, and the image froze on the computer. She typed rapidly on the keyboard, and zoomed in on Gendo's gloved hand. Her lips tightened as she saw the slight bulge at the base of his ring finger. She typed a few more commands, and shifted the view to the older violet-haired woman next to him.

"Reverse playback," she ordered the computer, until the woman raised her hand to brush a wisp of her hair back over her ear. "Stop."

Ritsuko zoomed in on her ring finger, and saw a golden band around it. She leaned back in her chair and stared at it. Next to her, Maya was looking through additional data on her laptop, but paused to glance up at Ritsuko's screen.

"Major Katsuragi's mother?" Maya asked. Ritsuko nodded.

"She has a background in psychology... She was working on her doctorate when she became pregnant..." Ritsuko tapped a few keys, and brought up their own records on the woman in question. "Saeko Katsuragi..."

"She remarried?" Maya asked. Ritsuko slowly nodded.

"Yes... But not in this universe." She zoomed back out, and ran the video again muted. She focused on Saeko and Gendo, keen eyes analyzing every movement they made. "Increase speed to ten times."

The video zipped by, Ritsuko never looking away. Saeko touched Gendo's shoulder a number of times, they shared at least one smile, towards the end of the file they grasped hands...

And there was something else. Something she couldn't identify. Something that felt like a cold knife twisting inside her stomach at the sight of them.

"They... They're married," Maya spoke softly. Ritsuko slowly nodded.

"Yes... That's the most logical conclusion to draw," she said quietly.

Maya hummed. "Wonder what the Major will think of that... Or the Commander."

Ritsuko was silent for a moment before she finally shook her head. "Let's watch the last few minutes."

Maya nodded, and with a few quick commands the computer window now showed something familiar to both of them: Tokyo-3 while the Twelfth Angel attempted to consume it. Unit 01 lowered it's positron rifle, while in the entry plug Shinji scowled.

_"What the hell? We didn't even scratch it!"_ Asuka exclaimed. _"Pull back and-REI!"_

Unit 01 looked in the direction of Unit 00, and saw that the cyclopian Evangelion had been caught by the advancing shadow. In an instant, Unit 01 sprang forward at high speed, racing over buildings to get to Rei. He landed on a rooftop and reached down to grab Unit 00, yanking her out of the shadow.

_"Rei! You all right?"_ Asuka called.

_"Yes, I am fine,"_ Rei responded calmly. The building they were on top of was sinking beneath them. _"I suggest we run."_

_"Good idea,"_ Shinji replied. Both Evas leaped to a building outside the range of the shadow, landing forcefully atop it.

_"Ritsuko, talk to me, what have you got?"_ Misato asked back in NERV. The other Ritsuko was typing furiously on her computer, and Ritsuko now was able to follow the thought process of her double. Every physical cue was something she could follow.

_I should have the solution right about..._

_"Of course,"_ Ritsuko murmured. In a normal tone of voice she said, _"What we were shooting at wasn't actually the Angel."_

_"What? Then what is it?"_ Asuka demanded.

_"It's AT Field is so strong, its inverted itself dimensionally,"_ Ritsuko explained.

_"The shadow is the Angel, the sphere is it's shadow,"_ Rei surmised. There was a smile of pride on the other Ritsuko's face for a moment before she switched back to business.

_"The Angel is essentially one Dirac Sea, a portal into itself. Within it is probably something akin to a pocket universe."_

_"All right, how do we kill it then?"_ Misato asked.

_"The core of the Angel is probably still a three dimensional object, contained within the 'shadow',"_ the other Ritsuko explained. _"We can probably-"_

_"Sempai! There's a rapid expansion in the Angel! It's headed right for Units 01 and 00!"_ Maya shouted. Unit 01's eyes saw it, and the world seemed to rise up from it's point of view. Naturally it was because the Angel was trying to consume them.

_"Hang on, you're saying the only way to kill it is to go inside of it?"_ Shinji asked.

_"That's correct, but-"_ Ritsuko began, just as two things happened. One was Unit 01 bodily lifting Unit 00 and throwing the biomech out of the shadow. The other was Asuka yelling over the radio.

_"Ikari! Shinji! What the hell are you doing?"_

_"Shinji?"_ Rei cried out in some surprise. Shinji just grinned and turned to face the sphere-shaped shadow of the Angel while the building he was on sank.

_"The only way to take out the Angel is to go inside,"_ Shinji replied. He jumped back to another building just before he was consumed, and jumped back again, getting room. _"So I'm going in!"_

_"What? NO! Shinji, pull back! That's an order!"_ Asuka barked.

_"Sorry, can't hear you Asuka, there seems to be something wrong with the communications system again. Maya, please look into it when I get back? Thank you,"_ Shinji said as he took off running over rooftops.

_"SHINJI IKARI! IF YOU JUMP INTO THAT ANGEL I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL PERSONALLY-!"_

Unit 01 leaped, incredibly far over the shadow of the Angel, before it plunged inside of it like a diver into water.

"Stop," Ritsuko ordered. She sighed and shook her head.

"He's as bad as our Asuka," Maya commented. Ritsuko chuckled.

"No... He's worse."

_Much worse,_ she thought.

* * *

_Search for "Ikari Saeko "_...

_No results found._

_Search for "Doctor Saeko Ikari"_...

_No results found._

Shinji grimaced at his computer screen, and leaned back thoughtfully in his desk, fingers tented in front of his face. It was a bit of a habit he'd picked up from his father, but frankly it seemed to be contagious. Misato, Ritsuko, his mother-Even _Chibi Rei_ had done it, though she didn't look nearly as intimidating doing it during a tea party.

She did look adorable though, but then she always looked adorable.

_So... If there isn't an Ikari Saeko..._ Shinji leaned forward and typed on the computer keyboard.

_Katsuragi Saeko._

Shinji blew out a breath he'd been holding, and scanned the information. _Counselor at the Tokyo-2 Central Hospital..._ He scratched the back of his head.

"Hey, Rei?" He asked quietly. Rei looked back over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

"How soon do we need to be at NERV?" He murmured to her.

"Right after school," she dutifully reported. "Section 2 will be picking us up at the entrance to the school."

"Right," Shinji sighed. He looked at the screen of his laptop, committing the contact information and the address to memory, before he returned to the search engine. This change had made him start to wonder about some other differences between these worlds. He decided to start off with something simple.

_Search for NERV Treaty..._

No results.

Shinji frowned and tried again.

_Search for Alexandria Station... Some Star Trek RPG but that's not what I need..._

_Search for African Union_... No, not _labor unions_...

_Search for Eidolon program..._

Familiar terms, familiar institutions, familiar things... None of them turned up on the search engine. Granted, a lot of information relating to the Evangelion program, NERV, and other aspects of the war were classified but...

_Search for NERV PR Department..._

Shinji glanced over the page. It was bright and colorful and pleasantly designed... And about as informative as a blank sheet of paper. Shinji sighed, feeling a bit frustrated. He returned to the search engine, and thought about it for a few moments before he typed in one last item.

_Search for SEELE..._ His eyes narrowed. _That's it?_ He leaned back and looked over the search results once again.

Let's see... German for soul... And...

_... SEELE isn't public here...? Or does it just not exist?_ His hands clenched into fists, and shook his head slowly.

No. If they didn't exist here, then Second Impact would have never happened. So it was clear they were here... They were unknown...

_His father hadn't made them public..._

Well, the cat was out of the bag as far as his father was concerned. Shinji had no doubt this Gendo was monitoring him like a hawk, and given he and Ritsuko were both much, _much_ smarter than him, they had probably figured out he wasn't their Shinji. All they had was SEELE, and a few other things. Without the context it wasn't very useful.

_Which means... I still have an advantage. If this is as bad as it looks._

Kaji had always told him to be optimistic, but to prepare for the worse. Looked like he'd be doing a lot of both.

He tapped the keys a few times, going back to the PR department website. He stared at the NERV symbol for a while, thinking.

The school bell rang loudly, disrupting him from his thoughts. He looked over at the students as they rose and departed. Mana passed by and waved at Shinji as she left, a warm smile on her face. He returned the smile and waved back, before Asuka blocked his view.

"You can smile like an idiot at your date later Baka-Shinji. Come on, we've got real work to do," she said flatly. Shinji nodded.

"Of course... Whatever you say Asuka," he said with a little smile and wink. Asuka huffed, but said nothing else as she marched out the door. Shinji rose from his seat, gathering up his bag. He looked back at the screen of his laptop for a long moment.

"Shinji? Something wrong?" Shinji glanced over at Hikari. Shinji shook his head and smiled.

"No, nothing... At the moment," he said, and closed the laptop.

* * *

_**ROOK**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

As soon as he'd been recovered, a number of medical personnel put Shinji into a wheelchair and wheeled him to the medical bay. As he passed through the hallways, he'd gotten a large number of looks from almost everyone else. Some seemed to be admiring. One woman even blew him a kiss. The majority seemed pretty shocked, as though they weren't sure what to make of him.

Shinji, for his part, had gotten over his shock and gone right into fear and self-loathing, both familiar emotions.

_Oh no... Oh no... I blew up a training center... During a simulation..._ He closed his eyes tightly, mentally berating himself. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Someone could have been killed! People might have been killed!_

He was wheeled into an examination room, and told to lie down upon the table. The medical techs headed out, and Shinji gripped the sides of the table nervously, eyes locked onto the door. A few moments later, a familiar red-eyed girl in an unfamiliar nurse's uniform entered, wearing an equally unfamiliar bright smile. The door shut behind her.

"Ayanami?"

"Hello Shinji!" Rei said cheerfully. She walked to the side of the table and pinched the control for his plugsuit, releasing it. Shinji blushed and his hands moved to cover his privates as Rei deftly pulled it off.

"H-Hey! Hang on a second-!"

"Now Shinji, please allow me to do my job, and how many times must I tell you to call me Rei?" Rei told him. She pulled out a sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope, and proceeded to take his blood pressure in a very professional manner. This didn't help Shinji, who continued to desperately cover himself up.

"Aya-I-I mean, Rei! What are you doing?"

"My job. I'm doing a medical examination. Ritsuko-mama is busy going over the data from the training simulation, as is Lieutenant Ibuki." Rei glanced up at him with a smile. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, you know."

"Can-Can I at least have a towel or something?" Shinji asked. Rei giggled softly, before she reached over him and procured a medical gown. Shinji gratefully slipped it on as soon as Rei finished taking his blood pressure. The door opened up a second time, but when Shinji looked up it was already closing. He frowned, but his attention was brought back to the moment as Rei stuck a thermometer into his mouth.

"Mmph?"

"You caused quite the ruckus, Shinji," Rei commented with a little smile. "I felt something as you did it, you know." She gave him a sidelong glance, even as Shinji had the oddest sensation someone else was watching him.

"Wha-?"

"Keep your mouth shut, Shinji," Rei instructed, as she quickly and efficiently drew blood from his arm. Shinji nodded and closed his lips around the thermometer as Rei procured the samples and kept talking.

"It was like… Rage. Pure, furious… Almost like the wrath of God descending upon us," Rei mused, looking up at the ceiling with a strange smile. She glanced back down at him and blushed. "Oh my… Sorry, I guess I was getting a tad melodramatic…"

Something moved out of the corner of his eye. Shinji jerked his head to follow, but all he could see was a medical cabinet sitting innocently nearby.

"Anyway! You're all right, that's what matters," Rei said, smoothly pulling out a medical scanner of some kind mounted on an overhead arm. "Though Sister said the Captain is quite upset. She's often upset though…" At Shinji's alarmed look, Rei smiled brightly at him. "Oh, it's probably not that bad! Nobody seems to have been hurt!"

Rei turned and rummaged around in a cabinet. Shinji watched her, and blushed when she bent over to look in a lower drawer. He looked straight ahead… Into a white mask with empty black sockets.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Shinji screamed, the thermometer shooting out of his mouth as he jumped and fell off the examination table. "OOF!"

"Shinji!" Rei cried. She looked at the source of Shinji's shock, and scowled. "San!"

Shinji panted for breath and sat up. He blinked.

"Ayanami…?"

What appeared to be an eight-year old version of Rei stared back at him. She wore an adorable pink dress, and in her hands was a plushy that bore a startling resemblance to the Third Angel-Mask and all.

"San, what did I tell you about sneaking into the medical bay?" Rei admonished the little girl. She stared back at her (Big sister?), and then back to Shinji with a look that seemed to fit his Ayanami far better. On the little girl version of her though, it was simply adorable.

"Shinji didn't see me yesterday," she said in a monotone. "He broke his promise."

"Shinji was busy! So was I," Rei said. "You shouldn't scare him like that anyway. Now say you're sorry!" She helped Shinji back up onto the table, as Shinji could not look away from the little girl. She stared back intensely, before slowly raising her plushy up in front of her face.

"Sachy says he's sorry," San said stubbornly. Rei sighed. Shinji stared, and slowly nodded.

"Uh… Sure," he said. Nurse Rei went back to her scanner, checking the results, while San walked up to a chair next to the table and climbed up into it. She turned around and stared at Shinji, the plushy Sachiel resting in her lap. Shinji looked away, focusing on the doll.

"Uh… I'm sorry for… For not seeing you yesterday," Shinji said. San nodded.

"You should be sorry for today, too. Sachy was scared when you blew up the Geofront."

"I didn't mean to… I'm sorry if I scared you-" At the little Rei's glare, Shinji recanted. "Ah, scared Sachy."

"You already blew him up once. You aren't going to blow him up again, are you?" San asked. Shinji couldn't help a little smile at that.

"No. I already blew up a Sachy. This one's way too small for me to pick on."

"So why did you blow up the Geofront?" San asked.

"I guess I lost control… A little," Shinji admitted, his eyes moving down to look at his belly.  
The door opened once more, and Shinji looked up to see Asuka… And yet another Rei enter. This one at least looked like the one he was most used to seeing: Wearing her plugsuit and an emotionless face, though he could swear she seemed faintly amused.

Asuka's facial expression seemed angry, but not as angry as she would be in the other universe. Shinji thus felt less fear and more embarrassment.

"Gott, that thing is creepy," Asuka said, looking at Sachy. San held the plushy up in front of her face, as Asuka stopped in front of Shinji. He looked at her face, then down at her breasts which were being pushed up by her arms. He blushed furiously and decided to try focusing on her mouth.

"Lucky for you, that entire section was empty. Nobody was hurt-Well, you scared a gardener but that's all," Asuka stated. Shinji closed his eyes as he sighed in relief-No one was hurt!

"Th-Thank you… I'm sorry Asuka, I lost control." His gaze dipped again, heading for his feet. Asuka cleared her throat.

"Shinji. Eyes up here," she said.

"Sorry," he said, looking up at her face. Asuka now wore a little smirk.

"The Commander is actually ecstatic. We've been trying to get the funding for months for a new training hanger. This will just give us an excuse." She made a face. "Unfortunately, Ritsuko is drooling over the new data. It's pretty disturbing, I suggest you avoid being alone with her." She reached down and pinched Shinji's cheek with a little smirk. "She just might decide to take advantage of you."

"That's just plain slander!" Nurse Rei said with a glare. Pilot Rei raised an eyebrow at Asuka, while San glared at her over Sachy's plush shoulders. Asuka snorted.

"Yeah yeah, and I'm the lead vocalist for Rammstein." She fixed a stern look at Shinji. "Just so you know I expect you to not use that attack within the city limits, got it? This isn't a goddamned giant robot show. If that section hadn't been cleared of personnel, this could have ended very, _very_ badly."

Shinji nodded.

"You have to learn control, Shinji," Asuka went on. "You can't lose it in a simulation, or out there." She reached over and gripped his shoulders, forcing him to look her right in the eyes. "Not even if I die. Understand?"

Shinji nodded again, quickly, his eyes locked onto Asuka's. "I-I understand."

"Good. We're going to try this again at the end of the week. Until then, you're on leave, got it?" Asuka said. Shinji nodded.

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"Good." She leaned back and looked over at Nurse Rei. "You have to do anything else?"

"The scans came up negative. You wouldn't have been allowed in here if they hadn't," Nurse Rei informed her. Asuka looked over at San, who hid her face behind her toy again. Nurse Rei coughed.

"Well… She's an exception," she said with a shrug. "We _all_ are."

Pilot Rei smiled. Asuka sighed, and reached over to pat San on the head. The girl looked up at her, and Asuka smiled. The little girl hid herself behind Sachy once more, and Asuka rolled her eyes.

"In the meantime, I'm going to go get Suzuhara and Makinami to help with the clean up."

"I take it Asmodeus' flight test has been cancelled?" Pilot Rei asked. Asuka nodded.

"Misato agrees we should set it for tomorrow. Still, there's no reason he can't earn his keep while he's here." She pulled out her phone and dialed the appropriate number. She held it up to her ear, and waited. She scowled when she received no answer.

"Hmm…" She dialed another number, to the same result. "Damn… I knew it."

"Makinami?" Nurse Rei asked. Asuka snorted.

"Who else?" She hit a few buttons on her phone. "Hyuuga, locate Suzuhara. I need to get him and Makinami on clean up detail…" She rolled her eyes. "Yes, they'll be together. What, do you live under a rock or something?"

She spared a glance to Shinji. "We've still got school today, so don't get too comfy."

"Right," Shinji said, nodding. Asuka headed out, sparing a salute to return Pilot Rei's salute. The door shut behind her, leaving Shinji with the three albinos. Shinji looked between the three of them, feeling confused.

_Three Reis? No, no… Maybe they're just sisters. Yeah. Sisters._ He looked between all three of them, noting the identical features. _… Who just happen to all look the same._

That was realistic… Right?

Pilot Rei moved to the side of his bed, and she bent over. She kissed his cheek.

"It was very impressive, Shinji," she said softly. She smiled. "I only hope that if I am in danger… You can summon the same power to protect me." Rei reached down and squeezed Shinji's hand. He looked down at their joined hands, and he looked up at Rei.

"I… I will," Shinji said, squeezing her hand. "I won't… I won't let anything happen to you."

_Any of you…_

Sachy-chan filled his vision, blocking Rei's face. He looked over at San.

"Apologize to Sachy-chan," San insisted. "Then you can have a tea party with me."

"Not until we're done with your tests… And I have a few more to do," Nurse Rei said with a smile. "Now… These last few ones have to be done in private." Her smile became sly, and Shinji gulped.

"Unfortunately, Shinji must be at school on time," Pilot Rei smoothly and logically interjected. Nurse Rei and San both pouted, but Pilot Rei was unmoved.

"Guess I'll have to make due with the samples I've got… But I can always get more," Nurse Rei said, cocking an eyebrow at Shinji and winking. San pouted at Shinji.

"You will have a tea party with me," she ordered. Shinji nodded.

"Of-Of course!"

"Good. I will see you at 1400 hours tomorrow," she said. She turned and walked out. Nurse Rei turned to Shinji with an apologetic smile.

"She just missed you," Nurse Rei explained. Shinji nodded.

"I uh… I could tell…"

* * *

Aoba whistled as he ran the portable spectrometer over a piece of wreckage, the directed sunlight of the Geofront shining down on his head. Other NERV techs worked nearby, some running sensors over pieces of debris, some taking photos, and others loading up trucks. Someone had even brought down two M-74 Kenryu mecha, which were lifting up the larger pieces of wreckage and loading them into trucks. He spotted the Major nearby, and walked up to her, double checking the results on his scanner before clearing his throat. Misato turned away from the technician she was addressing and raised her eyebrow.

"Lieutenant?"

"Major," Aoba returned.

"It's not like you to do grunt work," she said, looking vaguely amused. Aoba shrugged.

"Had some off hours, felt like being useful." He turned the scanner over to Misato. "Besides, I found something pretty interesting."

Misato looked over the readings. "... And I'm sure you can tell me what it is you found?" She prompted. Aoba smiled.

"Sorry Major... Basically, from the spectrographic analysis I've been doing, this was a pure energy release, on the level of a zero point energy reaction. The additional data we've been getting off Unit 01 confirms it-This energy was brought out of spacetime itself."

"And you can tell that with this doohickey?" Misato asked. Aoba shook his head.

"Not alone, but it does confirm it. I've been picking up the same readings here that we picked up after the Fifth Angel's blasts."

Misato sighed. "No Angel contamination she said..."

"Well, the Evas are all based on Angels anyway. And we still don't know everything about how they work," Aoba said. He shrugged. "Maybe the Evas are evolving in combat, like the Angels do."

"Maybe..." Misato sighed and crossed her arms under her breasts, looking up at the hole in the ceiling.

"I didn't say I was comfortable with it, Major," Aoba admitted. "Still... Shinji is our trump card."

She smiled. "And if anyone can handle it, he can, right?"

"I'm just saying what we both believe, Major," Aoba said with a smile. Misato nodded and looked over the debris once more.

"Well, it will be nice to get this hanger replaced," Aoba said, stretching his hands over his head. "Maybe put in a new rec center?"

"With a brewery installed," Misato sighed. At her subordinate's look she shrugged and smiled sweetly. "A girl can dream, can't she Lieutenant?"

"I wondered why the request to plant hops in the farming area keeps coming up," Aoba said wryly.

"You handle that?" Misato asked.

"No. I just supervise the guy who does handle that," Aoba replied. "Delegation is the key to successful leadership, after all. Learned from your example," he finished with raised brows. Misato smirked and shook her head.

"If you're buttering me up for promotion, you can do a _lot_ better than that," she said. Her phone rang and she pulled it out, putting it to her ear. "Katsuragi, go."

Misato listened, and sighed. "All right Ritsuko, I'll be right there." She turned off the phone and looked over at Aoba. "Take over for me Aoba."

"Yes ma'am."

Misato entered the maintenance hangar a few minutes later. The giant purple form of Unit 01 was easily visible, even amid the various robotic arms and the maintenance crews all over the biomechanical titan. Ritsuko and Maya were busy at work at a mobile access terminal, Ritsuko typing furiously and Maya shouting instructions to the workers.

"You look busy," Misato commented slyly as she slipped behind Ritsuko and wrapped her arms around the blonde woman's waist.

"It's because I am," Ritsuko returned, undeterred and unaffected. Misato pouted as Maya looked over at her sempai.

"Sempai, Unit 01's blast took out Maintenance Elevators across section 45 G."

"Then direct the shipments through 49 G."

"The ordnance master doesn't know where we can put the components," Maya informed her. Misato sighed, resting her chin on Ritsuko's shoulder. She looked over at the lieutenant.

"We might be able to clear out some room in the unfinished sections of 44H and 48F, right?"

"Maybe, but that depends on how long they'd have to be there," Maya said. "The longer they're there-"

"Just put the parts that won't rust there, Maya," Ritsuko said. "Anything else is negotiable."

"Yes Sempai," Maya dutifully replied. Still holding Ritsuko, Misato directed her eyes up to the Evangelion as the great crash horn was slowly pulled away.

"A full refit... Not sure I like the sound of that," Misato said.

"The next Angel isn't going to arrive for a few weeks yet, and Shinji's off duty until it's resolved," Ritsuko said, fingers dancing over the keyboard. "I'd say we have plenty of time."

"Assuming the problem is with Unit 01," Misato commented.

"Assuming there's a _problem_ at all," Ritsuko replied.

"Shinji just used an Angel ability," Misato said. "There's no sign of him being infected, contaminated, altered. He just... He _willed_ it, and it fired off a blast. God's Wrath. Just like that."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Ritsuko asked. Misato moved her lips closer to Ritsuko's ear.

"There's more to it than that," she murmured. "He's different. I can tell Ritsuko, I'm not stupid." Ritsuko glanced back over her shoulder, her cheek brushing gently against Misato's.

"We still don't know everything, Misato," Ritsuko said quietly. "But what we do know, we're keeping quiet."

"I have the highest security clearance known to man. Why are you keeping _me_ out of it?" Misato asked flatly.

"Do you trust the Commander?" Ritsuko asked. Misato blinked.

"That's a silly question... Of course I do."

"As a commander, or as your step-father?" Ritsuko asked. She smirked a little. "And as the father of the boy you'd like to-"

"Yes, yes, I trust him!" Misato hissed. "What's your point?"

"My point is that you should trust him when he decides to keep things quiet," Ritsuko said.

"But why can't he trust me?" Misato asked. Ritsuko turned her head a little more, and pressed a kiss to Misato's cheek.

"It's not a matter of not trusting you... It's just a matter of expertise. Shinji is fine, but he's going to need help. Focus on that."

Misato sighed. "All right."

Ritsuko glanced back over at Maya. The lieutenant was holding a handkerchief to her nose.

"Uh... I-I've got it, I've got it Sempai!" She said quickly through the cotton. Ritsuko and Misato smirked.

"Took longer than I thought," Ritsuko said.

"Maybe next time I'll just French you," Misato said with a grin.

"We don't need to try to kill the whole maintenance team... Again."

* * *

_God, more talky bits. I know, I know, you guys want action. I want action too, believe me, but I have to muddle through some more talky bits to set up stuff further down the line. It shouldn't be more than another chapter or two to get some actual stuff happening again. _

_To everyone who reviewed: Believe me, I read every one but I can't reply to every single review all at once. So don't feel miffed if I don't get around to responding to yours. I'm not snubbing you, promise._

_Ritsuko and Misato being close at the end? Ah... They're just good friends. Yes. _Very_ good friends. Just like Touji and Mari... Okay, bad example._

_In the meantime, a good friend of mine, Chris Oddland, wrote up an omake for me detailing the pilot of the Prototype Eidolon_ Prometheus:_ Orestes Astoria. I'm building a small database of various people, places and things for the King!verse which I may post if enough people are interested in reading it. _

_Enjoy:_

**OMAKE by Chris Oddland**

_Disclaimer this fanfic idea is not mine, but this omake snippet was created with the blessings of Andrew Joshua Talon._

_Prometheus, the name of the Titan of Greek myth who chose to side with the gods of Olympus; creator and benefactor of men who defied even the will of Zeus himself by giving them the gift of fire and was cruelly punished for this act of compassion._

It was ironic that the first fully functioning prototype Eidolon, a sub-project entity of Project E, would be baptized with that name. But many found that the ironic naming to be fitting and a logical choice since its role was to test and evaluate experimental equipment.

The massive black body with white seams that ran across its body was exposed as the modular armour plating had been removed in order to give its wings and N2-powercell thrusters the reduced weight required for flight capability.

Orestes Astoria concentrated as he banked ABMU-00 to what he perceived as his right. Twisting his head to the left, the Eidolon imitated it in synchronization as its massive, turtle-like head did likewise.

Through its ears or what served as them along with various well-proven sensors, Orestes could hear the thrusters on Prometheus' back and hips roar as they assisted the wings in keeping it airborne.

Checking his power gauge, he frowned a bit and evaluated that in his next report he would have to criticize the power consumption of the prototype Icarus thrusters that was meant to increase the thruster outputs and ease the handling of the flying humanoid. And that from the sound of it the thruster life was severely limited on these things.

He switched on the comm-system. "...This is Orestes to HQ... If I had my way the designers would've to go back to the drawing board...Over..."

"...This is HQ... We hear you... Any more complaints, kid?...over..."

"If I end up falling down like Icarus, don't complain about how banged up Prometheus gets since this test was your idea... Over.." Orestes said.

"Copy that... over and out...

Orestes had a gut feeling that HQ saw how dissatisfied he was through the comm-screen. Considering his case of bad luck they couldn't blame him.

Once when testing wrist-mounted autocannons he had opened fire on an ammo dump by accident on the test site. Luckily no one had died or been crippled that time, except for that really expensive new Eidolon model that lost its leg and jaw. Worse was the time when that experimental shoulder-mounted missile pack discharged all its missiles by accident on some other Eidolons on the testing grounds and when the other pilots had given him the nickname Mr. Friendly Fire. He hated that name!

Unluckily for him the thrusters died out on him as he was grumbling and he desperately tried to keep ABMU-00 aloft.

The military outpost with a squad of Eidolons never saw it coming as a large black object with white markings crashed down on all four Eidolons, leaving a large crater and lots of debris.

"Don't shoot!" For pity's sake don't shoot! We're with NERV!" Several speakers seemed to wail over and over again as the attacker managed to rise, despite erratic twitching and staggering and the wings destroyed by air friction.

"I hate it when Prometheus does that," a barely conscious Orestes Astoria muttered, feeling that somewhere his uncle was laughing at him.

"ORESTES!" He could hear his superior in the comm-screen howl.

Maybe he should've defected to SEELE...


	8. Chapter 8

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

* * *

_**KING**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

The synch tests had proceeded as they normally did, which had left Rei with little more to do than sit in her entry plug and focus on her duty. She had found difficulty in focusing, however: Especially with Shin… Pilot Ikari's frequent attempts to engage her in conversation. Normally she would find such interruptions to her duty annoying, but given it was Shin… Pilot Ikari, she was not annoyed: Quite the opposite, actually.

The fact that this annoyed Pilot Soryu was also… Pleasing, though she wasn't entirely sure why. She certainly did not enjoy her frequent verbal abuse of either herself or Shin… _Pilot_ _Ikari_.

"Rei?"

Doctor Akagi's voice cut through Rei's musings, and she focused her eyes on the bottle blonde scientist overhead. It brought her back to the cold surroundings of the medical lab, and her current task: To be cooperative with Doctor Akagi during her post-synch test check up.

"Yes Doctor Akagi?" She asked.

"Are you experiencing any light headedness? Difficulty focusing?" Ritsuko asked. She flashed her penlight into Rei's eyes, testing the pupil response. Rei blinked several times, and then shook her head.

"No Doctor Akagi."

Ritsuko's smile changed tone, one of her eyebrows rising. "Oh. I see." She turned away and inputted a few comments into a computer station by Rei's bed. Rei turned her head to look at her, feeling a bit confused.

"See what?" She asked.

"Tell me Rei… What do you think about Shinji since the Twelfth Angel?" Ritsuko asked.

"… I have had a number of thoughts about him," Rei answered softly.

"What kind?" Ritsuko asked, turning back to her. She looked at Rei over the lenses of her glasses-Something that seemed to make her gaze more piercing. "How does he make you… Feel?"

"… Warm," Rei admitted quietly, staring back at Ritsuko without any significant change in her expression.

"You're blushing," Ritsuko commented. Rei turned her eyes to look at the ceiling quickly, the instinct to hide her expression coming over her in a rush. Ritsuko laughed softly.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Ritsuko said. She stood up and moved to look down upon Rei. Her smile was, for a change, warm rather than… Well, Rei wasn't sure how to define it, only that it usually made her feel cold. Even outside the examination room.

"I am not ashamed," Rei replied automatically.

"Embarrassed then?" Ritsuko asked. "That's all right too. It is perfectly normal for you, actually."

"Normal?" Rei asked.

Ritsuko nodded, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Despite your nature, you do possess hormones like a normal girl as well as feelings. You feel warmly about Shinji, don't you?"

Rei nodded.

"Well then," Ritsuko said, "you should act upon them."

"I should?" Rei asked. Ritsuko nodded.

"Of course." She turned away to her computer terminal again, typing a few commands into it. "After all, the Commander wants you to get closer to Shinji, doesn't he?"

Rei nodded. "Yes."

"You want to get closer to him, do you not?"

Rei was silent for a moment, thinking about it. "It is not a matter of what I want. If the Commander orders me to do so, I will do so."

Ritsuko sighed, and turned back to Rei. She rested her hands on Rei's naked shoulders, an action that made Rei tense up. She felt trapped by Doctor Akagi's gaze, as well as her hands.

"Rei… Commander Ikari is a man," Ritsuko began in a patient voice. "And as a man, he does not fully understand women. Not our feelings, not our psychology, and not our… Desires. You are a woman, Rei, and as such you have the desires of a woman."

"… What are those desires?" Rei asked, keeping her voice level despite the anxiety she was experiencing. Ritsuko smiled.

"To be loved, of course. Love is a warm feeling, one shared between two people. It draws them closer together."

"… So if I feel love… Then my duty is easier to accomplish?" Rei asked.

"If you feel loved, then your duty isn't just your duty. It's something more," Ritsuko went on. "Shinji had difficult expressing love before the Twelfth Angel, but now he's able to express it freely. For everyone he cares for." She squeezed Rei's shoulders slightly, an unconscious reaction perhaps given Ritsuko's expression did not change. "That includes you."

"Ikari… He loves me?" Rei asked. Ritsuko nodded.

"Yes. But expression of it was hard before."

"Why was it hard before? What changed him?" Rei asked. Ritsuko's eyes focused on hers with laser-like precision.

"Simple. Inside the Angel, he knew loneliness even greater than he did before… So he's making up for it by trying to stop being alone. You can help him do that." Ritsuko's smile softened. "You want to help Shinji, don't you? It is your duty?"

Rei slowly nodded.

"Duty doesn't have to be empty and painful, it can also be enjoyable," Ritsuko lectured. "The more enjoyable it is, the better you perform your duty. So you should return Shinji's affections."

"How do I do that?" Rei asked.

"Call him by his name, for a start," Ritsuko said. "Also, touch him as he touches you. Hugs, kisses on the cheek, holding hands, touching him on the shoulder…" The blonde doctor paused and seemed to think for a moment before saying, "and perhaps you can dress nice for him."

"Dress nice," Rei repeated, nodding. She hesitated, and Ritsuko shook her head, reading her emotions perfectly.

"Don't worry about the Commander. You are just following his orders. I'm just helping you along. After all…" And here Ritsuko smirked and winked. "He's just a man. Some things are beyond him when it comes to women."

Rei nodded again. Normally, Doctor Akagi made her feel uncomfortable, even suspicious. All of her advice in this matter, however, was logical and made the warm feelings Rei had for Shinji less unknown, less frightening. Having a clear direction to go in always made Rei more comfortable. Certainty was what allowed her function above all else.

_Well… That and perhaps a few other things_, she admitted silently, as the image of Pilot Ika… Shinji swam up into her mind's eye.

"I understand," Rei responded. "I will do as you say."

Ritsuko let Rei go, and the First Child rose from the examination table. She quickly dressed in her school uniform, and when she was done Ritsuko gave her another smile.

"Go ask Major Katsuragi about dressing nice. I also suggest you continue to stay with them at the apartment."

"My presence… Annoys Pilot Soryu," Rei protested softly.

"Good," Ritsuko said. "Enjoy that fact."

Rei's lips twitched slightly, and she nodded. "I will." For an additional moment, she looked conflicted. Ritsuko smirked.

"You're welcome."

"… Thank you," Rei said softly. She turned and exited the lab. Ritsuko watched her leave, and checked the computer terminal. The maintenance cycle for the security systems in the examination room had completed just in time. She allowed herself a self-indulgent smile, before she resumed her work.

* * *

Asuka was sitting at the kitchen table, her chin resting on her hands. Her narrowed eyes rested on the point between Shinji's shoulder blades, just beneath the nape of his neck. Rei had asked Misato to take her out to the stores before they closed, so for the moment it was just the two of them, alone in the apartment together.

"… You don't have to stare," Shinji said with his eyes on the meal in front of him. She stared at him in silence. Shinji glanced back over his shoulder at her.

"Is it my haircut?" He asked.

"…It's stupid," Asuka said flatly.

"I can get a better one," Shinji said with a shrug. "Can you get me the basil?"

"Get it yourself, Third," Asuka snorted. Shinji shrugged, left the oven for the appropriate cabinet, and retrieved the necessary spice. He returned to the cooking meal and dusted the meat with the spice quite liberally.

"So... What'd I do?" He turned his back to the oven and looked intently at Asuka. "If you're going to be angry with me, I'd like to know what I did." He smiled. "You are beautiful when you're angry, but the truth is you're always beautiful, so getting angry is really not necessary."

Asuka huffed and looked away. Shinji sighed and walked around the table, sitting next to her.

"You're sulking. I hate it when you sulk," he said.

Asuka snorted. She was clearly not going to give him any ground.

_Well then… Plan B it is_, Shinji decided. He sighed.

"All right... Since we're off duty... I can't get in trouble for doing this." He took hold of her chin, turned her face and kissed her briefly on the lips. Asuka's eyes widened.

"Huwah?" Asuka gasped.

"Would you like to talk now, or shall I progress to groping your ass?" Shinji asked with a smile. Asuka flustered up, and scowled deeply at him. She wasn't hitting him though, which Shinji saw as progress.

"How do you keep your synch ratio so damn high?"

"... Oh, is that all?" Shinji asked with a chuckle. "I thought it was something serious."

"Something serious!" Asuka demanded. She let out a series of impressive swears in English and German before switching back to Japanese to berate him.

"Damn it, why do you always make it look so easy! You're nothing but an untrained idiot who keeps getting lucky!"

"The synch ratio isn't the end all of being an Eva pilot, Asuka!" Shinji protested.

"It is for me!" Asuka snarled. "I worked all my life to get my numbers, and you? You just sit in it and its all honky dory!"

"Asuka, look! I'm not trying to make you look bad," Shinji said, resting a hand on Asuka's shoulder. "I'm not the enemy here, I promise you."

Asuka glared at him. Shinji sighed.

"Look... Asuka..." Shinji gritted his teeth. Damnit, he didn't know enough about this universe. However, he did know Asuka. If she'd listen to anyone, she'd listen to herself. "Your Eva... Your Eva is like mine. In that, when you are threatened, it will do absolutely anything it can to protect you."

Asuka stared at him silently. Shinji continued.

"But it can't fight with you if you insist on taking control all the time. When I synch with my Eva... It synchs back with me. At first, it scared the hell out of me. I fought it. I resisted it trying to peer into my mind... But in doing so, I was crippling myself. You have to trust the Eva, because it trusts you to guide it."

Shinji pressed his hands together, bowed his head, and sighed before looking back up at Asuka.

"I know you. You always want to be in control, you're afraid to let go, even for an instant, because you're afraid of being weak. But unless you trust the Eva, you can't unleash its full potential-That's what I do! That's probably the only way we're going to win. By trusting in our Evas, and trusting in each other."

Asuka looked aside, and then down at her hands, now resting in her lap. Shinji reached out and took one of her hands.

"And besides... No matter how high my synch ratio gets, I can never beat you in sims anyway." He squeezed her hand. "I don't think of myself as the best, I think of you."

Asuka's face was hidden by the shadow cast by her bangs, but she sniffled once.

"Idiot… Who told you that stupid, cheesy crap?" She asked softly. Shinji bit down a laugh, but was unable to restrain his grin.

"Someone a lot smarter than me. After all, I'm just an idiot."

Asuka leaned over and kissed Shinji briefly on the lips. She pulled back, wearing a blush identical to his.

"Ah?"

"...Thanks, I guess." Asuka muttered, looking away. Shinji smiled.

"Any time, Captain."

"We're home~!" Misato called from the front door. Asuka moved away from Shinji very quickly in embarrassment, and Shinji himself returned to the oven, finishing up dinner.

Misato entered the kitchen, looking pleased with herself. She gave Shinji a saucy grin. "Now Shinji, Rei wants your honest opinion of how she's dressed."

Shinji nodded. "Of course! I'm always honest."

"Rei! Rei, come on in!" Misato called. A few moments later, Rei entered the kitchen. Her plain school uniform was replaced with a short dark red skirt, and a top not unlike Ritsuko's-Tight, black, and sleeveless. The black stockings added to a very flattering picture. Asuka seethed as Shinji's eyes widened and locked onto Rei's form.

However, he recovered quite well and gave Rei a smile and a wink.

"It looks absolutely beautiful, Rei."

Rei blushed, and slowly nodded.

"Thank you Pi… Shinji," she corrected herself. Shinji smiled and looked over at Misato. Misato pouted playfully.

"Is that all you have to say to her, Shinji?"

"No, but I think I'd like to reserve that kind of language in private," Shinji said with a wink at Rei. The plae girl blushed furiously, as Asuka's grip on the kitchen table increased to the point the wood began to creak. Noticing this, Shinji cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.

"So, did you just get her one new outfit?"

"Of course not," Misato said easily. "But since we didn't have you to carry the baggage this time, I found a replacement."

Kaji came in through the door to the kitchen… Slowly. The large number of bags in each of his hands probably had something to do with that.

"God… Kill me," Kaji groaned. Misato rolled her eyes even as Shinji winced in sympathy.

"Oh stop complaining, it's not that much!" Misato huffed. Shinji moved over after turning off the heat on the oven.

"Let me help you out, Kaji," Shinji said with a smile.

"Never go shopping with more than one woman.," Kaji quipped wryly, cocking an eyebrow at Shinji. The Third Child grinned and took several bags off him.

"You told me that before. I keep forgetting. I can't imagine why," Shinji said, shooting another wink and suggestive smile at Misato. Misato made a show of fanning her face, while Asuka glared murder at her guardian.

"I'll just take this to Asuka's room," Shinji said, quickly moving out of the kitchen. Asuka huffed.

"My room?" She asked Misato with a barbed tone.

"Come now, you don't mind Rei-chan sharing a room with you, do you?" Misato asked.

"No, it's not like she has much," Asuka grumbled, her venomous glare moving to Rei. The albino girl stared back.

"Good. It was that, or allow her to continue to sleep with Shinji," Misato said. Kaji looked over at Misato with an interested look on his face.

"Oh?"

Misato gave a saucy smile to her former lover. "Oh yes. Rei was all too happy to sleep with Shinji." She wagged her eyebrows. "Nude."

"Shinji's bed is quite comfortable despite being so small," Rei said softly.

"WHAT?" Asuka snarled.

Rei looked over at Asuka, her face emotionless. "Was it not your idea for me to sleep with him, Pilot Soryu?"

"Your idea, Asuka?" Kaji asked, grinning roguishly. Asuka's face turned red in turn.

"It-It's not what you think! There's nothing-It was a stupid joke-!"

"Well, if you'd like, you can continue to sleep with him," Misato said, smirking at Asuka. The German girl stood up and slammed her palms into the table top.

"That's quite alright! She can sleep in my room! Can't you, First?" Asuka asked, shooting Rei a sideways look that promised pain. Rei gave no sign she was remotely affected by this withering gaze.

"I would rather in Pilot Ikari's… I mean Shinji's," she said. Asuka was about to deliver a withering retort when Shinji returned, rubbing his palms with a wince.

"Shinji, do you have a preference as to where Rei sleeps?" Misato asked innocently. Shinji saw Asuka's deathglare, and coughed again.

"Ah… Well…" He shrugged and smiled. "As long as she's happy, I've no complaints."

"I would be happy in Shinji's room," Rei said firmly.

"She should stay in my room! It's inappropriate any other way!" Asuka growled.

"Well, I can always move to the couch," Shinji said, holding up his hands with a little smile.

"Oh, but Shinji-kun~..." Misato hugged him to her cleavage. "Wouldn't you rather sleep with me?" She smirked at the seething Asuka. "After all, it would let Rei and Asuka have their own rooms."

"Er… Well... We could all share one room. Saves on heat, right?" Shinji returned with a smile. Misato smirked.

"I never thought of that~…."

The doorbell rang, and Shinji reluctantly pushed his way out of Misato's embrace.

"But, we should probably discuss this after dinner," Shinji said. "Why don't you go greet our guests?"

"Certainly," Misato said. "Come on Rei, I want to see Touji and Kensuke's reactions."

"Great, more Stooges," Asuka snarled as she rose from the table. She shot a deadly look at Shinji. "It had better be all ready and set out when we get back, Shinji!"

"I love you too, dear," Shinji replied flippantly as he began divvying out the food to various plates. Asuka's cheeks turned red, but she immediately turned away to follow Rei and Misato into the living room.

Kaji couldn't keep himself contained any longer, and let out an amused chuckle. He clapped a few times.

"I'm impressed, Shinji. I don't think I can top getting all these lovely ladies practically eating out of your hand," Kaji said with a grin. Shinji gave a bow as he hurriedly set out the dishes.

"Ah, you know, all in a day's work: Saving the world, defeating eldritch abominations, and getting the girl. Not as exciting as your life, right?"

"My life?" Kaji asked.

"Yeah. Fast cars, foreign women..." Shinji shrugged. "Exploding helicopters."

"The life of a man of action, I suppose," Kaji said, looking nonchalant but fixing a hard stare on Shinji. Shinji nodded quickly.

"Ah… yes…. Quite," Shinji said quietly. He looked up as Hikari, Asuka, Misato, Rei, Touji and Kensuke all entered the kitchen-The latter two looking quite shell-shocked. Shinji offered a little grin.

"Dinner is served?"

* * *

After dinner, Misato took Kaji down to a local bar some distance from the apartment complex. Selecting a private booth, Misato slipped into one side, Kaji the other while couples and groups engaged in spirited conversation around them.

"We'd draw less attention if we sat together," Kaji said with a roguish wink. At Misato's cold look, he sighed. "Business then."

"So…?" Misato asked.

"Maybe I should ask you first," Kaji said. "It's only fair, given what I've been put through to get this information."

"A few too many goosed secretaries?" Misato sneered. Kaji smirked.

"That's too clumsy for me, you know that. So?"

Misato sighed, clenching her fists. She then tented her fingers in front of her mouth, staring intently at the wall behind Kaji.

"Nothing," she at last admitted. "I've checked with every one of my contacts, called in a few favors, nothing. Even the bookkeeping staffers can't find me any projects with the kind of budget this project would need." She looked at Kaji. "Not even filed under 'hammers' or 'waste management'."

"So we are running under the assumption this is a JSSDF project?" Kaji asked. Misato gave Kaji a flat look.

"Who else could build giant combat robots in Japan Kaji? The Presbyterian Church? A high school festival committee?"

"Perhaps a Gundam fan club?" Kaji offered. Misato snarled.

"Kaji!"

He held his hands up in surrender. "All right, all right…" Kaji slid a hand down to his pocket, and pulled out a lighter. He clicked it on and off a few times, studying the flame. He looked up at Misato.

"We're clear for a few minutes," Kaji said. "It'll look like a glitch in any recorders."

"There are plenty of those going on," Misato sighed. "As well as leaks." She glared at him. "If you were responsible for any of them-"

"Misato, please! I'm many things, but a traitor?" Kaji asked. "Besides, the information leaks occurred before I came to Tokyo-3."

Misato sighed. "Fine. So, what have you got for me?"

"Well, as you know, while NERV absorbed most of the brightest minds in cybernetics for Project E, more than a few were recruited by private companies. At least three of the same caliber as the ones at NERV went off the grid two years ago, apparently all moving overseas-Except that they apparently never made it wherever they were going."

"All right, that gives us the brains. What else?" Misato asked. Kaji chuckled.

"You'll love this…" He pulled a few photographs out of his shirt, and passed them to Misato. She took them up and flipped through them.

"Significant supplies are being transported into this complex: The Fuchu Air Base. Originally it was a USAF base after the Second World War. The locals and the base personnel were very close, the Cinderella law was never enacted here. It's because of that bond that the local residents kept quiet about the reactivation-They thought it was by UN command."

"The UN doesn't know about this though, do they?" Misato asked rhetorically. At Kaji's nod, Misato sighed. "Figures… This much material being moved in on a daily basis though, there's no way this isn't showing up on the finance reports… Unless…"

"There wasn't a budget made in the first place," Kaji finished the thought. "It's all done by cash out of existing budgets."

"Inefficient, but it'll keep the paperwork trail dry," Misato confirmed. Her frown deepened. "I don't like this Kaji. I don't like this at all. They're anti-Eva weapons, I know it."

"The synthetic muscular systems, the positron cannon, the flight capability, the N2 reactor system-Put it all together and you've got something that could beat down an Eva in sufficient numbers," Kaji confirmed.

"I'm guessing this wasn't part of the program," Misato said dryly. She checked the photographs again. "The test flight went bad, the pilot went nuts. If they're as smart as we think they are, they'll figure out what went wrong." She looked up at Kaji. "My gut feeling is that they'll try to get as much data on the current neural interface system as possible, before we put everything together."

"So what's the plan?" Kaji asked. Misato hummed thoughtfully, tapping her fingers together. She smiled.

"Simple. The only place to get that data is NERV. They'll probably try to use an employee, maybe even a high ranking official to get in. They'll be calling in the favors now because as it stands the only thing keeping this weapon from being fully operational is this system, and if they can't fix it then they have no weapon. That's where they'll go, and that's where we'll catch them."

"Clever as always, Misato-chan," Kaji complimented her. Misato huffed.

"Save the flattery… How long do we have left on that thing?"

"Two minutes, maybe three," Kaji said. Misato nodded.

"All right… On a personal note, you saw Shinji tonight."

Kaji nodded.

"So… You've seen it too?"

Kaji shrugged, but gave her a focused look. "He's different… Very different."

"I wish I could just be happy that... That he's not so much of a hedgehog... But something isn't right. I don't buy Ritsuko's explanation," Misato admitted.

"Agreed," Kaji said.

"... It's like... It's him, but it's not." She looked up. "It's not much to go on, but…"

"It's all we've got," Kaji confirmed. He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. "So… Assuming this isn't our Shinji, where is ours now? And where did this one come from?"

Misato sighed, and looked down at the table. "... That's a good question..." She looked up, gaze serious. She was secretly pleased that Kaji was the same way. "Unfortunately, there's only one way we can get our Shinji back, wherever he is."

Kaji nodded. "Yes."

"So, I'm going to need you to get me everything you can on the S2 organ in Nevada," Misato said softly. "I'll get what I can out of Ritsuko, but…" She took a deep breath and let it out, along with much of her tension. "I don't think I can trust her after what happened."

Kaji smiled. He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'll do everything I can."

Misato smiled back, gratefully. "Thank you."

"Of course, if he keeps this up you might want to keep him for yourself," Kaji offered with a little wink. Misato flushed and snarled at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on Misato-chan, you're acting just a little too friendly with him," Kaji teased, winking at him. "I saw how you reacted when he came back-"

"There's nothing-It's not-I'm not-!"

"Misato…" Kaji smiled at her. "I'm glad you care about him. From what I've seen, he cares about you just as much. He's your sword and shield, no matter what…"

Misato was silent, and looked down at the table top. Kaji reached out and rested a hand on hers.

"He just found someone to fight for in you… Like I did," he said softly.

Misato looked back at him, and smiled back. "… You should go, quickly… That thing needs to be refilled," she said in the same tone, glancing at his lighter. Kaji nodded, rose, and left the booth. Misato slid the photos into her cleavage, and left soon after.

* * *

In the Commander's office, Gendo leaned back in his chair. He studied the screens intently as Shinji easily bantered back and forth with the other children. Rei was blushing intently as she sat in her new clothing, enjoying the compliments thrown her way. The Second Child would just as easily snipe and bicker, with either Shinji or his male friends. The Horaki girl tried to keep order, but every smile and word sent her way from his son got a blush out of her.

It was all so domestic, so normal. His Shinji would never engage like this.

Gendo turned to look out the windows, resting his chin on his tented fingers.

_What kind of man am I in that universe? The kind to allow his son to be… Happy._

He closed his eyes. He couldn't allow his thoughts down that path. It would end nowhere productive.

"Working late I see."

Fuyutsuki entered the office, and walked to Gendo's side. He glanced at the screens, processing the information. He chuckled. "He gets on quite well with all of them."

"Clearly the plan is different in that other world," Gendo replied. "The computer queries he made… Have you come up with anything?"

Fuyutsuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Saeko Katsuragi does indeed match the woman in the data recordings from the other Unit 01. Alexandria Station… There was a proposal for the construction of a space station in orbit to act as a guardian of the Valentine Treaty. There are rumors it went ahead, and given the Committee's substantial space investments it isn't out of the question."

"African Union? Eidolon program?" Gendo asked. "NERV Treaty?"

Fuyutsuki shook his head.

"Nothing. The MAGI's been running simulations involving all of those terms though. So far, given everything we've seen it seems likely that in the other world, you and SEELE are public enemies."

Gendo nodded slowly. "The possibility for exposure has always existed."

"Marrying a psychologist to mend your son? Create a happy family atmosphere so that he would be more loyal to you, perhaps?" Fuyutsuki suggested. He chuckled. "Your other is quite diabolical."

"No," Gendo said. "It is more likely that…" Here Gendo sighed. "That it is what it appears to be."

"NERV fighting to prevent Third Impact?" Fuyutsuki asked. Gendo turned back in his chair to his desk. He called up the same logs, and fast forwarded through them. He froze on a shot of his double, standing with the other Saeko next to him.

"There," he said. "I'm holding hands with her under the table. I…" Gendo trailed off as Fuyutsuki chuckled softly.

"Sorry… That expression on your face. It's…" Gendo looked hard at his mentor. Fuyutsuki smiled and shrugged. "Familiar."

Gendo closed the windows. He assumed his usual position, staring out at the dark office. "Can we retrieve the S2 Organ or not?"

"We can… The individual in charge of it, however, wishes to see you in person."

"Who?"

Fuyutsuki's smile grew. "Richard Bonhomme."

Gendo sighed. He felt a headache coming on. Fuyutsuki chuckled.

"Good luck Ikari."

Yes, definitely a headache.

* * *

_**ROOK**_

T + 1 Day_**  
**_

* * *

Shinji was expecting his teacher to be the same old fart who constantly lectured about Second Impact. So he was very surprised when a blonde, attractive and professional-looking woman entered, wearing a smile on her face.

"Mr. Class Rep, you know what to do," the woman said pleasantly. To Shinji's infinite surprise, it was Kensuke who rose up, and turned with military precision to look over his classmates.

"Yes Dr. Carter! STAND! BOW! SIT!" When this was complete, Kensuke shot everyone a smile. "Good! Now… TURN A CARTWHEEL! GET ME A SODA! TURN AROUND IN A-"

An eraser smacked into the back of Kensuke's head. He yelped, and rubbed the back of his head. He looked back sheepishly.

"Sorry ma'am."

"Mind saving your political satire for someone who cares?" Carter asked flatly. Kensuke nodded, and stood up straight.

"Yes ma'am!"

Strangely enough, Shinji was beginning to like this universe even more. Kensuke sat back down, and the teacher smiled at her students.

"Now class, let's start by turning to page 234 in our textbooks and resume our discussion about atomic interactions..."

Shinji found himself doing something he never thought he'd get to experience: enjoying a lesson at school. The teacher got the students engaged in it-Asking questions of them and encouraging them to ask their own about particle interactions. Though given the short skirt the captain wore it wasn't hard to see why the guys would pay more attention…

"Ahem. Ikari? Can you repeat my last question?" Shinji looked up at the blonde teacher, and coughed. Carter was peering at him over her spectacles with a disapproving look.

"Ah...s-sorry."

"You're cleaning up after school," Carter said simply. She resumed walking about the classroom, and her lecture. Shinji followed her movements, before he got a beep from his laptop.

'_Hey. You all right?'_ Hikari asked via instant messenger. Shinji smiled a bit sheepishly, and quickly replied.

'_Yes.'_

'_You seem distracted,' _she typed back.

'_Just distracted.'_ He replied, a bit lamely. Hikari shot him a smile and a wink.

'_Don't worry. I'm on clean up duty anyway.'_

The rest of the class proceeded reasonably well, and before he knew it the bell rang. Shinji got up to head to lunch, and got out into the hallway before a quiet voice came into his ear.

"Ikari."

"Bwah! Ah… Hello…?" A serious-looking African girl with long hair done in a severe braid stood before him. He looked her up and down instinctively, eyes locking onto the sword at her side. It was somewhat out of place on her school uniform.

"She is never without her sword. I swear to God she even takes it into the baths with her. And what the hell does she need with a sword?" Asuka's ranting came to his mind.

"Ah, Adeola? What is it?" Shinji asked. Adeola handed him some papers.

"You did not forget our project did you?" She asked in a flat, controlled tone. Rather than Rei's monotone, it was like every word was chosen with slow, careful deliberation.

"Ah...no, it's just that the Angel...well...I'm still a little scrambled from that," Shinji said, sticking to the cover story. Adeola looked at him intently, as though probing apart his responses for any sign of deceit, before nodding.

"I see. I wish you luck with your recovery, however, given you are here you do not seem to be impaired. I would prefer to have this project done before the due date." She raised a single elegant eyebrow at him. "You understand, do you not?"

Shinji nodded. "Of-Of course!"

"You know Adeola, I'm sure Shinji could switch with me! I can catch up on the project just fine!" Kensuke spoke quickly with an eager smile. Shinji blinked rapidly at him.

_Did he just teleport?_

"Perhaps, but I would prefer Ikari finish his part before switching to another. It would be very inefficient," Adeola smoothly replied. Kensuke nodded.

"You're right! Of course! Shinji though, uh, until it's all sorted out you'd be happy to let me help, right?"

"Er, sure?" Shinji said. Adeola gave him a flat look.

"If that is your desire," Adeola stated flatly. "I will be going to lunch, and then practice."

She turned and began to walk off. Kensuke cleared his throat.

"Ah, Adeola! Maybe we could, er…" As she turned her eyes back to him, Kensuke's smile became more watery. "You know… Have lunch together?"

"I would prefer not to be disturbed," she said.

"How about your practice then? Could I watch?" Kensuke asked.

"No." Adeola turned and walked off. Kensuke followed her departure with a dreamy smile, but at Shinji's look he coughed and broke it off.

"Uh… Sorry about that Shinji, but you understand," Kensuke said. Shinji slowly nodded.

"Yeah…"

"You really should just tell her how you feel, Kensuke," stated Hikari. Shinji turned and saw her, Asuka, Rei, and Connie emerge from the classroom. Connie in particular gave Shinji a very warm smile, and held her fingers to her lips. Shinji involuntarily blushed as Asuka snorted.

"Sure, she'd find that flattering."

Kensuke sighed, depressed. "I can't tell her! I mean, she'd just laugh in my face if I did."

"She wouldn't laugh! Maybe she'd think it was sweet!" Connie suggested.

"Ever the American optimist," Asuka said wryly.

"Ever the German pessimist, Captain," Connie shot back. Kensuke groaned.

"No, no, Asuka's right. I mean, what could she see in me?" He looked over at Shinji with a familiar look in his eyes. "Unless…"

"Uh, Kensuke," Shinji said.

"Come on Shinji! I just want another shot at becoming a pilot! That would definitely impress her! There are new Evas coming, I could do it!" Kensuke pleaded.

"You remember the last time he got behind the controls?" Asuka asked flatly.

"My memories are still screwy," Shinji reminded her.

"It wasn't that bad," Kensuke said quickly. "No matter what they say-"

"You nuked a mall!" Asuka snarled.

"I didn't nuke it! I just kind of damaged it!"

"You left a crater!" Hikari said with a laugh.

"Nobody was in it!" Kensuke protested. He turned to Shinji desperately. "Please Shinji? Please?"

Shinji gave it a bit of serious thought. "...Ah. Now I remember." He nodded. "Yeah, you should give up."

Kensuke sobbed. "Why must you crush my dreams so cruelly?"

"I-I'm not, I'm not!" Shinji said quickly. "You should just have other dreams!"

"I can't fulfill my greatest dream without fulfilling my _other_ greatest dream!" Kensuke said dramatically. He bowed his head and sighed. "Guess I'll just have to find something else to live for." Kensuke moped off towards the cafeteria. Shinji watched him with a frown.

"Just relax," Hikari said. She rested a hand on his shoulder. "He'll get it together. She does actually like him."

"She does? How can you tell?" Shinji asked.

"Self-delusion," Asuka stated. Hikari stuck her tongue out at her, and grinned at Shinji.

"Come on! Lunch time! I don't know about you but I'm starving."

"Let's get going then," Rei said. "I am looking forward to my bento, Shinji."

"Me too," Asuka said.

"Did you cook anything for me?" Connie asked.

"Uh," Shinji started. Rei smiled and moved up to his side to whisper in his ear.

"I packed your bag, don't worry," Rei said.

"You are a lifesaver," Shinji whispered back.

"I will expect payment, of course," she said with a smile. Shinji sighed.

"I thought you might say something like that…"

"Enough whispering between you two! Lunch time already! You can get cozy some other time," Asuka barked from further down the hall. Shinji nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes, of course!"

Connie eyed him smugly as he hurried to catch up. An expression Asuka caught.

"And what are _you_ smiling about, Princeton?" She asked. Connie beamed at Asuka.

"Not a blessed thing, _Captain_."

* * *

Acutely aware of the tension brewing between his lovely fellow pilots, Shinji decided discretion was the better part of valor and elected to eat with Kensuke. The bespectacled boy cast longing looks in the direction of Adeola, who was seated at the end of the table with the other female pilots.

"You know, um… They are right. You could just ask her out. I mean, um… Touji's got a girlfriend."

"Don't remind me," Kensuke sighed. "You remember what he had to do to get her, right?"

Shinji stared at Kensuke. Kensuke stared back, and then coughed.

"Oh, um, right. The memory thing… How bad is that anyway? Or do you want to talk about it?" Kensuke asked. Shinji sighed, and looked away. It was easier to lie when he wasn't looking at anyone.

"It's uh… It comes and goes. I remember Eva, Asuka, Rei, Misato, you and Touji…" Shinji shook his head. "A lot's missing. Why don't you tell me how they got together?"

He looked back at Kensuke who sighed and nodded. "Sure… There's not much to say," Kensuke said with just a hint of bitterness. "SEELE let loose an Angel weapon from a cargo ship off shore, they were sent in to take it out. Mari was going to be dragged under, but Touji swooped in, grabbed it, and flew up as high as he could before diving like a falcon-"

"Like a falcon?" Shinji asked. Kensuke sighed.

"Mari's take."

"Ah."

"And while the thing was trying to chew his face off, he rammed it into the cargo ship hard enough to make it explode."

"Explode?" Shinji asked. Kensuke nodded.

"Explode. He then flew out of the flames like a 'fallen angel of flame, clawing his way out of Hell for her'."

"Mari again?" Shinji asked.

"Yeah," Kensuke sighed. "And the moment they got back to base, she jumped him and-and fucked him right there in the locker room! Can you believe that?"

"Well, um… I guess so," Shinji said carefully. Kensuke sighed and rubbed the back of his head irritably.

"See? Adeola's not like other girls. She's like Mari! Well, not the crazy part, but the warrior part. She's not going to take me seriously unless I do something really heroic and dangerous and self-sacrificing and… And crap like that!"

Shinji sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you… I mean, I can't do anything."

"You're the son of the Commander! Come on, at least give me another shot, please?" Kensuke asked. Shinji sighed.

"Kensuke, you can't pilot Eva just because you want to impress a girl."

"I got it to move last time, didn't I? Fired off the weapons? Come on Shinji, this is really, really important to me!"

Shinji sighed and pressed his hand against his face. "Look… I'll… I'll talk to him, okay?" He said at last. Kensuke grinned and slapped him on the back.

"That's all I ask!"

Really hoping he wouldn't regret this, Shinji nodded. The bell rang, and Kensuke rose.

"Come on, Gym time."

"Right," Shinji said, glancing at the girls as they headed out.

* * *

Gym at least was comfortingly the same, for the most part… Save the teacher.

"Come on, COME ON! As young as you are, you are filled with a burning spirit! It must be let out, or else it shall CONSUME YOU FROM THE INSIDE!"

"Y-Yes sir!" Shinji said.

"CAN YOU FEEL IT? CAN YOU FEEL THE BURNING, IKARI?"

"Y-Yes sir, yes sir! I-I_ feel it_!" Shinji breathlessly called, as the bowl-cut teacher ran alongside him. He grinned and gave a thumbs up, his shining white teeth glowing in the afternoon sun.

"That's the spirit, Ikari! FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE, EVERYONE! We're going for another four laps!"

He felt glares and heard groans and curses from his classmates behind him, and Shinji duly increased his pace. His teacher's almost unbearably cheerful air just rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was his own angst evaporating under the intensity of his smile that was freaking him out.

"Y-You really are scrambled," Kensuke gasped at Shinji as he managed to catch up to him. "You're not supposed to encourage him!"

"I didn't know! Who is he anyway?" Shinji panted.

"Don't know… Some guy from Hong Kong. Does a lot of action movies in America and Nigeria," Kensuke managed.

"N-Nigeria?"

"Yeah! It's the, haa, third largest producer of movies, haa, in the world!" Kensuke said. At Shinji's look, he managed a shrug as he continued to run. "Adeola's from there!"

Oh. Now it made sense.

"Haa… Haa…" Kensuke looked up at the pool as they passed it, up the hill away from the track. Shinji followed his gaze, and saw that the girls were departing. A smile came over Kensuke's face.

"You'll thank me later," Kensuke muttered. Before Shinji could ask what he meant by that, Kensuke's foot strayed into the path of Shinji's. The Third Child tripped and faceplanted right onto the track.

"GMPH!"

"Oh man! Coach! Ikari fell on his face!" Kensuke called out. "I'll get him to the nurse!" Kensuke pulled Shinji up, and looped an arm around his shoulders. The coach nodded, shooting another grin and thumbs up at them both.

"Very good Aida! Quite the initiative! I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"Yes sir!" Kensuke said with a wave. Shinji groaned. Why was this happening to him?

"Oh relax, this'll make it all worth it, I promise," Kensuke soothed. Shinji looked up as Kensuke led him around the hill towards the back of the school. They came to a fence barring their way. On the other side were various pipes and meters. Shinji, being slightly dazed, couldn't imagine what they were for.

"Come on, up and over," Kensuke said.

"Where are we going?" Shinji asked, even as he complied. He landed on the other side carefully, as though he were landing in his Eva. Kensuke followed with about the same amount of grace, and he led Shinji through the tangle of pipes and industrial equipment around the corner. Shinji looked up and processed this.

_If I'm right, we're between the gym and the nurse's office_, Shinji thought. _But why would we…?  
_  
"Aha! Here we go," Kensuke said. He got down on the gravel-covered ground and crawled to a window just peeking out of the ground. It was one of several lining the wall. All of their sills went down into the ground, leaving enough room for Kensuke to stick his head and shoulders in and press his face against the glass. Shinji frowned, and aped his friend, squeezing in next to Kensuke and looking.

The sight below him took his breath away.

Asuka, Rei, Hikari, Connie, Adeola-They were all down there, showering… Naked… Their bodies shimmering thanks to the water running down their supple bodies… Even after seeing Asuka and Rei nude, this sight was unbelievable to Shinji.

"Are we lucky, or what?" Kensuke asked with a grin. Shinji nodded dumbly, his jaw down, his cheeks red.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well come on Shinji. They do everything together, right?" Kensuke asked. Shinji managed to glance over at Kensuke. The glasses-wearing boy grinned and waggled his eyebrows. Shinji blushed and looked back into the locker room. "Right?"

"Er… Well… Um…"

"IKARI! AIDA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Bellowed the loud voice of their teacher. The sound made Shinji instinctively snap his head up, which slammed the back of his head into the top of the windowsill.

"Gah!" Shinji yelped, and pressed a hand against the window to steady himself. However, the window chose this moment to give, opening inside. Just enough of Shinji's weight was over the edge of the sill to send him sliding in, the loose gravel and gravity doing the rest. "OH GOD!"

He landed in a pile on hard tile, pain burning through his chest, head, and the shoulder he'd landed on.

"What the hell?"

"Shinji!"

"Shinji?"

"Shinji!"

As the cries filled his ears, Shinji felt hands take hold of his shoulders. He was pulled into a sitting position, and shoved up against the wall. He cracked his eyes open, and saw four pairs of eyes staring at him. His area of vision expanded as he looked at each and every single part of the naked girls he could see, all glistening wet from the shower.

Asuka sighed and crossed her arms under her chest.

"You had better have a concussion Ikari, or you're going to be in real trouble," she said. Shinji nodded slowly, before he slumped over, his vision going dark.

* * *

"Is he hurt?" Asked Rei.

"Maybe he has a concussion!" Hikari said, sounding worried.

"Say something! How do you feel?" Asuka demanded.

"He was peeping on us?" Connie asked, blushing. Asuka shot her an angry glare.

"No, he was looking in through that window for some other reason!"

"Ya don't have to be sarcastic!" Connie huffed.

Asuka gently forced his eyes open all the way. "Hmm… Doesn't look like he has a concussion… We should get him to the nurse's office, fast and-HIKARI!"

"What?" Hikari asked innocently.

"You don't have to check down there for injuries," Asuka snarled.

"But how can we know for sure he's not hurt down there?" She asked with a smile. Rei and Connie wore the same smiles. Asuka growled.

"I KNOW! Now cut that out and… And…"

"Oh my," Rei said softly, at what Hikari's checking had revealed. Her pale cheeks went bright red.

Hikari giggled. Connie covered her cheeks as she blushed, but she couldn't conceal her sly smile. Asuka gawked for a few moments, before shaking her head clear of lust.

"Enough! Let's get him to the nurse's office, stat!" She narrowed her eyes. "With his shorts on."

"Yes Captain," all three girls chorused. Asuka then looked over at Adeola, who was quickly getting dressed. "Adeola? Where are you going?"

"To deal with Aida," Adeola said flatly. "He is the most likely culprit for pushing Ikari to peep." She unsheathed her sword, and smiled very slightly. "He will not escape me."

"… You go do that," Asuka said coolly, as she turned her attention back to the unconscious Shinji.

* * *

_Oh God, at last. I've had enough talky chapters to last me a while! Time skip to Saturday next chapter, with plenty of action for all. However, things are going to get serious, just so you're warned. I'm so exhausted after this chapter. _

_Also, for those of you who still think that King!Shinji is a Gary Stu, I'll just make one final statement: If any other character from the King!verse was switched with their Canon counterpart, they would be just as out of place. The Canon Evangelion universe is defined by dysfunctional people. In the King!verse, they are not dysfunctional. Just because King!Shinji isn't like the Canon!Shinji doesn't make him a Gary Stu. He's not perfect by any means, and the next chapter should pretty conclusively demonstrate that. Just please, trust me._

_And if you still don't believe me then I can't really do anything else to convince you otherwise._

_Now, enjoy a few omakes graciously written by Gunman:_

_**KING**_

OMAKE 1: "Would you like to talk now, or shall I progress to groping your ass?" Shinji asked with a smile. Asuka flustered up, and scowled deeply at him. She wasn't hitting him though, which Shinji saw as progress. But she also wasn't protesting.

"Alright, groping it is." Shinji said as he moved towards her, kissing her lips as his hands moved around and gripping her tight buttocks through her shorts and pulling her into his lap as he continued to French her.

In only a couple minutes Misato and Rei came in. And caught the pair in the act.

"Shinji!" Misato shouted.

"Yes?" Shinji looked over to his guardian.

"I'm next!" she said with a smirk.

"No fair!" Rei whined.

OMAKE 2: "How do you keep your synch ratio so damn high?" Asuka asked.

"... Oh, is that all?" Shinji asked with a chuckle. "I thought it was something serious."

"Something serious!" Asuka demanded. She let out a series of impressive swears in English and German before switching back to Japanese to berate him. "Damn it, why do you always make it look so easy! You're nothing but an untrained idiot who keeps getting lucky!"

"The synch ratio isn't the end all of being an Eva pilot, Asuka!" Shinji protested.

"It is for me!" Asuka snarled. "I worked all my life to get my numbers, and you? You just sit in it and its all honky dory!"

"Asuka, look! I'm not trying to make you look bad," Shinji said, resting a hand on Asuka's shoulder. "I'm not the enemy here, I promise you."

Asuka glared at him. Shinji sighed.

"Look... Asuka..." Shinji gritted his teeth. "The reason I can synch with my Eva so well... is because my dead mother is inside my Eva and whenever I get into trouble she is always there to save my butt."

Asuka looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Are you making fun of me?" she asked.

"No. Just think 'Hi momma' and 'I love you', and just sit back and let the warmth of your mothers love surround you." he said, slightly melodramatically.

"If you're not gonna tell me, then just forget it!" she snapped.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't tell you anything." he smirked.

OMAKE 3: The doorbell rang, and Shinji reluctantly pushed his way out of Misato's embrace.

"But, we should probably discuss this after dinner," Shinji said. "Why don't you go greet our guests?"

"Certainly," Misato said. "Come on Rei, I want to see Touji and Kensuke's reactions."

"Great, more Stooges," Asuka snarled as she rose from the table. She shot a deadly look at Shinji. "It had better be all ready and set out when we get back, Shinji!"

"I love you too, dear," Shinji replied flippantly as he began divvying out the food to various plates. Asuka's cheeks turned red, but she immediately turned away to follow Rei and Misato into the living room.

After seeing the rest of the guests inside, and smiling widely at the shell-shocked expressions on

Touji and Kensuke at Rei's appearance, there was another knock on the door.

"Yes?" Misato said as she answered the door... and froze.

"Misato?" Saeko Katsuragi asked.

"M-M-Mother?" Misato gasped at seeing the woman who had left her and her father fifteen years ago.

"Oh, good! You made it." Shinji said with a smile, appearing behind her.

"You... you invited my mother?" Misato gasped at Shinji.

"Yup. I figured it's about time you two reconnected."

"But why?"

"Because there isn't anything I would have done to have my mother back in my life." Shinji said as he escorted Saeko inside. "So..." he said to the older Katsuragi woman. "..you don't happen to like guys with beards, do you?"

_**ROOK**_

OMAKE 1: "Come on Shinji! I just want another shot at becoming a pilot! That would definitely impress her! There are new Evas coming, I could do it!" Kensuke pleaded.

"You remember the last time he got behind the controls?" Asuka asked Shinji flatly. However, while Shinji didn't know what Kensuke did, he had an idea as to what he would have done.

"Well... after what happened last time." Shinji said, seeming to take Asuka's side.

"It's wasn't that bad!" Kensuke snapped.

"You nuked a mall!" Asuka snarled.

"I didn't NUKE it! I just kind of damaged it!"

"You left a crater!" Hikari said with a laugh.

"Nobody was in it!" Kensuke protested.

"It was a simulation, Kensuke! You're lucky no one was hurt!" Asuka snapped.

"Exactly. It was a simulation. No chance of any..."

"That's because that section of the Geofront was down for repairs!" the redhead snapped.

Shinji kept silent as they kept talking.

"Misato is still kinda shocked that you managed to physically damage part of NERV while in an Eva WITHOUT any weapons!" Asuka snapped.

Shinji started backing away from the group, having heard enough.

"Doesn't that mean I require more testing?" Kensuke persisted.

"Yeah, and Ritsuko can't wait to get you on the dissection table." Asuka grinned.

Kensuke gulped, and now noticed that Shinji was gone.


	9. Chapter 9

_Castling_

_Andrew J. Talon_

* * *

_**ROOK**_

__T + 3 Days

* * *

Shinji stood in front of the door to the apartment. In the distance the sounds of the city abounded. Car horns, police sirens, the occasional murmur of a VTOL in flight. In a way it was comforting to have his background be so familiar, in front of this foreign door.

_Ikari, G. & S._

The nameplate was simple, but the light green frame around it was definitely out of the ordinary. It was shaped metal in the form of creeping vines, twisting in and out around each other in an elaborate, motionless dance. He looked back at the door, dark blue metal. No different from any other in this city, he supposed.

He lifted his hand, and hesitated a moment. He took another deep breath and pressed the doorbell button.

It opened, revealing a smiling Saeko. She wore a simple yellow blouse over a pair of jeans, and for a moment Shinji thought he was looking at an older Misato.

"Welcome Shinji," she said with a smile, stepping back to give him room to enter. "Come on in."

There was another time, another place in his mind as he lifted his foot and set it down past the threshold. The smile he gingerly returned was the same.

Saeko turned and walked to the right, heading into her home. Shinji followed after removing his shoes, his eyes widening slightly at the inside of the apartment where his father and m... Step-mother lived.

There was a TV built into the wall, with a disk player attached. It was sleek and modern and black. Flanking this television were two bookshelves. One was tall, stately, and dark cherry in color, packed to the gills with books on numerous subjects and a few stuffed toys. The other was black and boxy, with movies and a few random books sloppily arranged. A pair of love seats sat in the center of the room, with a small round table between them. Other than that, the room was bare.

The walls though were a different story. Picture frames covered almost every free bit of space available, and Shinji found himself trying to take in every single image he was presented with. Movie and concert posters from numerous decades and genres stood out. Photos from various locations with Saeko and Gendo and numerous people, recognizable and unrecognizable, were scattered about in between the large posters. Shinji took a few steps towards one photo in particular, and reached up to touch it.

Saeko and Gendo, with his much younger self between them at the beach. All with a smile on their faces.

"Not what you expected?" Saeko asked softly. Shinji flushed, and looked away.

"Um... Well..." He shook his head. Saeko laughed softly.

"It's all right..." She took hold of his shoulders and slowly guided him through the living room, to the door to the kitchen. "Gendo? He's here."

His father turned from the stove with a smile. "Hello Shinji." Pots bubbled on the stove, as the smell of beef cooking met Shinji's nose. He wore a bright yellow apron over a plain T-shirt and jeans. Shinji blinked several times.

"Hello Father," Shinji said. Gendo pulled on a pair of oven mitts that matched the apron, and opened the oven. Carefully, he pulled out a pan upon which numerous cooked meatballs sat. He put it on the counter, as Saeko moved to close the oven up for him and turn it off.

"Have you ever had Italian, Shinji?" Gendo asked.

"Er... No," Shinji said. Saeko rummaged around in one of the numerous cabinets that walled in the kitchen, producing a large pot. She set it down on the counter next to the meatballs and moved to take one of the bubbling pots off the heat and to a strainer sitting in the sink.

"It's fairly simple to prepare, so we have it a lot," Gendo explained. He looked over his shoulder. "Care to help?"

Shinji nodded, the tension in his body lowering. Under the direction of the two adults, he helped them combine the meat, the pasta, the vegetables and the sauce together. Once that was done, they carried the whole pot to the small table and set it down. Saeko poured the drinks and passed them out, while Shinji set the table.

At last, they all sat down in three of the four chairs around the circular dinner table. Gendo scooped out a large helping from the pot, and set it down on Shinji's plate. He did the same for Saeko and finally himself.

"Time to eat," Gendo said as he dug in with relish. Saeko did so as well, nearly matching Gendo forkful for forkful. Shinji stared for a few moments, before very slowly, he copied them. The food was warm and flavorful, and he found himself liking it immediately.

In silence the three ate, glances the only thing exchanged for several minutes. Shinji blinked and looked intently at his father.

"... Is something wrong?" Shinji asked.

"No," Gendo replied. Saeko smiled at him across the table.

"Is there?"

Gendo gave Saeko an unreadable look. His wife shrugged, and looked back at Shinji.

"Is there?" She repeated.

Shinji looked back down at his plate for a moment, before looking up again.

"I guess... I just want to know... I mean..." Shinji slumped back in his chair. "I want to know what I should... Should talk about."

"What do you want to talk about?" Saeko asked. Shinji frowned.

"I'm not sure where to begin... There's a lot I'm still confused about, like SEELE. I mean... We're in a war with them, right? But I don't know why."

Gendo stared for a moment, looking almost incredulous, before he let out a small laugh. Shinji shrunk back a bit, but still fixed his father with a stubborn look.

"What's so funny?"

"Us," Gendo sighed. He scooped up some pasta and studied it intently, before turning his fork over and letting it fall back onto the plate. "We haven't told you the basics... We just assumed..."

"That you would find out on your own. That was probably unfair of us Shinji," Saeko said. "But we also wanted to give you a chance to get used to this world. And enjoy yourself."

Shinji immediately recalled the locker room incident, and flushed bright red. Gendo and Saeko both smiled knowingly.

"However, doing that left you in a bit of a bind, didn't it?" Saeko asked gently. Shinji nodded. Gendo sighed.

"Well, let's correct that," he said. He leaned forward on the table, and knit his fingers together into a maneuver Shinji recognized his own father doing. However, in this Gendo's case his face was bare.

"SEELE is a secret cabal of some of the most powerful men on this planet," Gendo began. "They've been around since the 1940s, and were centered on unlocking the secrets of the ancient Jewish Kabbalah school of thought. A huge part of this has been translating and deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls."

"The what?" Shinji asked.

"The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of over nine hundred ancient Hebrew texts found in 1942," Gendo said. "Most of them consisted of older and lost books of the Bible. But, a large number of them were concerned with the true nature of God, Man, and the future." Gendo's hands rose to cover his face, and his eyes narrowed.

"Thanks to the scrolls, they were able to find out the origins of life on this planet. The First and Second Angels, codenamed Lillith and Adam."

"And Adam... Adam was at the South Pole, right?" Shinji asked. Gendo nodded. Shinji frowned. "So Adam... They woke Adam up by accident, and-"

"It was no accident," Gendo cut him off immediately. Shinji stopped short, and felt like the gee forces from an ascent up a launch rail were acting on him.

"It... No accident?"

"No," Saeko said softly. Shinji looked over at his stepmother. He hadn't focused any attention on her while his father talked, but now that he did he saw the smile was gone from her face. It was cold and stony, almost as bad as his father's. He turned his gaze back to his father, eyes on his hands as Gendo resumed speaking.

"SEELE's translations indicated that humanity could be returned to a primordial state through an Impact event." Gendo snorted, before resuming. "The only way to do this though would be to cause a Second Impact."

"You mean... They caused it? They..." Shinji trailed off, his eyes widening as horror rose up in his chest. Disconnected though he was from humanity, the act of killing off _billions_... He felt his stomach clench and his heartbeat increase.

"Yes," Gendo said quietly. "It allowed them to seize control in the chaos following the Impact Wars through the UN. To create NERV and the Evas."

"But... But why? How does creating Evas... Killing so many people... And the Angels, what about the Angels?" Shinji asked. He had a flurry of additional questions to rain on his father, but a raised hand made Shinji pause.

"I'm getting to that," Gendo said, sounding a bit annoyed. Shinji shrunk back. Saeko, seeing this, shot Gendo a look and rested her hand on his shoulder. The elder Ikari blinked, then resumed speaking in a gentler tone of voice. His hands also lowered, his face once again visible.

"Second Impact woke up the Angels, who would come in order according to the Dead Sea Scrolls. To join with Adam and start Third Impact. That part is true." Gendo took a deep breath. "However, NERV's job was not to prevent Third Impact. It was just to prevent the Angels from causing it. In the end... We would do it ourselves."

"But why? Why cause Third Impact?" Shinji asked. "Why kill all of humanity?"

Gendo sighed, and his face was covered by his hands again.

"It wouldn't kill us... Exactly," Gendo said. "What Third Impact would do would be to return us all to a... A primordial state. We would be one single entity, a sea of souls. There would be no war, no suffering, no conflict... It would be a New Eden free of sin."

Shinji found his fists clenching and unclenching, and was acutely aware of his loudly beating heart.

"So... So you're fighting to prevent that," Shinji said. Gendo nodded.

"Yes."

"Why would anyone fight for that though?" Shinji asked. Saeko squeezed Gendo's shoulder. Her husband looked over at her, and nodded. Saeko took a deep breath.

"They think... The nations that fight with SEELE think that _we_will cause Third Impact. In addition, SEELE has offered something they call the 'Human Uplift Project'. In exchange for loyalty, people are transformed into human/Angel hybrids. They get an Angel's powers-Regeneration, immortality, and an AT Field usable as a weapon. All they have to do is fight for SEELE, allow them to take Tokyo-3, and they can live forever as demi-gods."

"Is... Is that possible?" Shinji asked.

Gendo's expression looked dark. "Yes... It is. We've done it ourselves."

Shinji looked back and forth between the two. A terrible suspicion arose in his mind, and he gave voice to it before he could stop himself.

"Rei?"

Gendo nodded. Saeko raised a hand.

"Shinji... Rei is a hybrid. She's not a monster though, and in all the important ways, she's human. Please believe me."

"But why create her?" Shinji asked. Gendo shrugged.

"We needed pilots. Being half-Angel allows Rei to synch more easily with Evas without needing as much training."

"But I-"

"You are a special case," Gendo said. "Special because the soul of your Eva is your mother's."

Shinji's jaw dropped wide open, but he couldn't seem to find the will to close it up again.

"Then... Then when I'm... But she..."

"Shinji." Saeko rose from her seat and walked around the table. She sat next to Shinji in the empty chair and hugged him tightly. He found himself instinctively pushing himself into her embrace, finding comfort and unwilling to give it up.

Gendo sighed and looked at Saeko flatly. Saeko frowned and shrugged, while rubbing Shinji's back.

"This is another reason we didn't want to tell you all this," Saeko said softly. "There's just so much to go through... So much to explain..."

Shinji took deep calming breaths, and hugged his stepmother back tightly. He almost felt like he was drowning, fighting against the overwhelming emotions these revelations inspired. He felt his father's hands rest on his shoulders, and trembled.

He didn't know how long he stayed this way, wrapped in warmth and silence. Part of him never wanted to leave, to hide between these two people who acted like they loved him, who showed it...

To not look at the face of his father and be reminded of the man who treated him as a disposable weapon... A tool...

"He was using me... W-Wasn't he?" Shinji choked out. "To... To cause it."

His father's hands squeezed his shoulders. "Yes."

Shinji sniffled. "... My mother...?"

"She did it for you... Gave herself up to Unit 01 so you could fight SEELE," Gendo said firmly. Saeko's hands froze for a moment, then resumed rubbing Shinji's lower back. "It was the only way, Shinji... The only way to give you the power to save the world."

"No... I mean... In my world," he said softly.

"... She probably wanted Third Impact too," Gendo said softly. "Just under your control... Under our control."

Shinji sobbed, and finally looked up at the two. His eyes were red and he felt tears running down his cheeks.

"I... I can't go back... Please, don't make me go back," Shinji begged through a choked voice.

Gendo and Saeko remained silent. His father held his shoulders, while his stepmother continued to hold him, comfort him as he cried.

It could have been five minutes. It could have been hours. The feeling of all his fear and anger and desperation and horror draining through his sobs left him unable to care about the passage of time. All he knew was that eventually, he had nothing left to cry out, and his stepmother gently loosened their embrace so she could look at his tear streaked face.

"Shinji," Saeko said as she cupped Shinji's cheek. "Shinji..." Her eyes glittered with unshed tears, but she managed to speak in a level voice. "Shinji, you need to go back."

"Why? Why can't I stay? I-I'm Shinji too... I'm Shinji too! I'm your son!" Shinji said, tightening his grip on the back of his mother's shirt. He looked back at Gendo, standing silently behind him. "I'm your son...!"

Gendo closed his eyes, and then slowly reopened them. His entire body was stiff, as though forcing himself into place. "Shinji..."

"You can't send me back. Not after telling me all this! Not after... After..." He sniffled. "Everyone's been so kind... People _like me_. People... People _love_ me here. They show it. They... They say it. I'm not just the pilot of the Eva, I'm _Shinji_." Shinji closed his eyes tightly. "I-I don't... I won't go. I can't go. You can't make me go."

"... You're right. I can't," Gendo said quietly.

Saeko took a few breaths, preparing and centering herself. Only then did she speak.

"But if we don't Shinji... Then the other Shinji... _Our_ son will be trapped where you were. He doesn't know anything about your world. He is all alone there. He might do well for a while, as long as he doesn't step on any toes... But he will be found out." She stroked his cheek. "It's not his world, Shinji. It's yours. It needs _you_to save it."

"I can't save it... I can't save anything," Shinji said.

"That's not true," Gendo said. "You saved your world several times."

"Everyone else was-was involved! I never did anything alone, never by myself," Shinji sniffled.

"Of course it was a group effort, Shinji, but _you_are the only person who can pilot Unit 01," Saeko said firmly. "You are the key to the whole thing. Without you, everyone else's efforts are meaningless."

"Then why... Why can't he save them? Why can't he do anything? Why?" Shinji sobbed.

"... Because it's not his world... It's yours," Saeko said. "And if you don't go back, that world will die. Shinji..." Her face broke, and grief was etched across her face. "Shinji... I want my son back. We need our son back."

"It's not fair," Shinji mumbled helplessly. "It's not fair..."

"... No, it isn't," Gendo said softly.

* * *

"Yes Misato, he'll be spending the night here. Don't worry, he'll be in NERV tomorrow," Saeko spoke into the receiver. She nodded. "Right... Well, call for some take out at least. Pilots needing their stomachs pumped means pilots _not_in their Evas." She smiled and held the phone away from her ear as her daughter yelled vehement denials.

"Kidding, kidding... Okay then. Goodnight. I love you..." She hung up, and sat down on a kitchen chair with a loud sigh. Gendo sat across the table, his chin resting on his hands as his elbows supported it. The plates were all put away, the food leftovers in the fridge.

"... That went well," Gendo said quietly. Saeko sniffled, and looked at the far wall away from her husband.

"A nice family dinner, where we tell him that everything he knows is a lie and his father is a genocidal monster, and that he _has_to go back," Saeko said. She looked down at her hands, resting in her lap. "It was stupid of me to think that I could soften the blow."

"We had to tell him somehow," Gendo pointed out. "And frankly, there wasn't any good way to do it."

"No... But doing it this way like a... A..." She closed her eyes. "Did you see how he _looked_at me? I felt like I was watching him drown. Just watching him while I held a life preserver in my hands."

Gendo moved, the scrape of the chair across the floor warning enough. His strong arms wrapped around her, and she buried her face in his chest.

"It wasn't easy for me either," Gendo said.

"... Should we still do it?" Saeko asked. "I mean... Do we have the right to?"

"You shouldn't ask questions like that until you've decompressed," Gendo said, with a hint of admonishment. Saeko laughed softly.

"Psychiatrist, heal thyself..."

"Exactly," Gendo said. Saeko pulled her face away and looked at her husband's face.

"There's a problem with that though."

"Oh?"

Saeko sighed. "After I decompress... Despite everything my training and my mind tells me... He is still going to be my son."

Gendo didn't say anything. He just held his wife more tightly, and rocked her gently as she slowly fell asleep. He then carried her to their bedroom, and laid her down on the bed where Shinji had also been put when he'd fallen asleep.

Gendo walked to the bathroom, and stared at himself in the mirror.

For the longest time he did nothing, just watched his reflection. Finally, as though seized with sudden purpose, he opened the cabinet and retrieved his razor and his shaving cream.

The water ran loudly in the bathroom, as Gendo rubbed the cream all over his beard. Eyes fixed on his reflection's eyes, he shaved, taking great swaths of hair from his face and rinsing it off his razor with an almost frantic energy.

He took hold of a towel. He wet it with warm water before shutting the tap off, and wiped his face vigorously. He slowly pulled it down, revealing his now clean shaven face. He ran his hands over his smooth cheeks and chin, studying the results. At last, he nodded to himself.

"Easy," he laughed in a slightly sardonic tone. He walked back into the bedroom, laid down next to his wife and son, and wrapped his arms around both. He closed his eyes and held them tightly, as both snuggled against him, and slowly he went to sleep as well.

* * *

_"... According to the Macronesian Alliance's official Information Ministry, the military forces being deployed in the Arafura Sea are part of a training exercise. However, the sheer scale of the operation as well as the deployment of other Macronesian forces into Indonesian waters has Allied forces based there being put on alert. The American President released this statement: 'Given last month's unprovoked attack on Indonesian patrol vessels, I have authorized the NERV commander in Indonesia to take any measures necessary to safeguard the security of the Indonesian islands.' Media access to our own military bases has been cut off under Emergency Decree 15 issued by the Ministry of Defense as of twelve PM Tokyo standard time, suggesting that JSSDF units will also be participating in the operation but there has been no official confirmation of-"_

"Turn if off," Asuka said. As Rei complied, Asuka shot an annoyed look at the now blank TV screen. She leaned back on the couch she sat on and sighed. Her gaze returned to the laptop sitting on her thighs with an equal look of annoyance.

"Getting angry about it will not help anything," Rei observed. She returned her attention to her book, looking quite relaxed.

"No, but it still annoys me," Asuka grumbled. "They're stripping our defenses off. _Our_ defenses. Last I checked, nobody else is defending a Progenitor entity that could _end the fucking world_if an Angel gets to it!"

"Indonesia does supply an enormous amount of resources to us for our war against the Angels and SEELE," Rei pointed out quite calmly. Asuka huffed.

"So? If we're taken down then it's game over!"

"So we don't lose," Rei said with an amused expression. Asuka sighed, before replying to her smile with a grin.

"That's always our strategy."

"It has not failed yet."

"True..." Asuka leaned back against the couch, and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. Rei gave Asuka a concerned look.

"It is just dinner with his parents," Rei said gently.

"I know, I know, but it just... He's been so different," Asuka said with a shake of her head. "I can't help but be... Concerned."

A pair of hands slid down the top of the couch and found Asuka's breasts. They squeezed, making the redhead yelp. She reached up, grabbed her attacker's shoulders, and flipped her over onto her back.

"EEP! Oww... Isn't it cute how you continue on the path of the tsundere," Mari Illustrious Makinami teased, wearing a wince as she laid on the floor. Asuka looked back over the top of the couch and glared death at what she saw-Touji Suzuhara making a sandwich.

"What the-How the hell did you two get in here?"

"The window," Touji said around a mouthful of bread, mustard and meat.

"And _why_are you here?" Asuka demanded. Touji swallowed and shrugged as Mari slowly got to her feet while rubbing the back of her head.

"Mari's got this thing about sex in multiple locations," Touji said bluntly. Asuka's jaw dropped as Mari giggled.

"WHAT? You can't have sex here!"

"There's no law against it~," Mari said singsong, as she skipped around the couch back to her boyfriend. Touji wrapped an arm around her waist and grinned.

"I don't ask questions," he said simply.

"Besides, Touji's off on a test flight tomorrow," Mari said with a pout, "and I have to leave for Indonesia in a few hours."

"So why not have sex in _your home?_" Asuka demanded.

"To see the look on your faces, of course." Mari said cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Touji's neck and jumping into his arms. "Tally ho, my wonderful stud."

"Tally ho," Touji smirked as he carried her off. Asuka stared blankly after the two, and shook her head. She looked over at Rei, who merely smiled.

"You wanted to be in command," Rei said. "Command them."

"... Are they going to my room?" Asuka asked. Rei shook her head.

"Misato's?"

She shook her head again. Asuka sighed.

"It's on their heads if they wake her up then," she said finally. She turned back to her laptop and resumed filing her reports.

"Should we not also get to bed?" Rei asked. Asuka huffed.

"Like we'd be able to with the amount of noise that psycho makes," Asuka said. Rei's smile became slightly sultry.

"We could always try to out do them," she said with a seductive purr. "It wouldn't be as much fun if Shinji were here, but we can save that for later."

Asuka's cheeks flashed red. Then she grinned.

"One of these days, I'm going to call your bluff," she said.

Rei smiled serenely.

"One of these days, you will learn _when_ I am bluffing."

Asuka choked.

* * *

_**KING**_

__T + 4 Days

* * *

Saturday morning came with the smell of eggs, toast, miso soup, coffee and bacon filling the apartment. Like a symphony with each instrument adding it's own sound to the mix, so too did Shinji's cooking bring forth a mix of aromas that under a less skilled conductor would lead to a chaotic cacophony. To the other residents of the Katsuragi household, it was a little piece of heaven offered to their noses as incentive to rise.

Thus roused, Misato, Asuka and Rei entered the kitchen, taking their seats as Shinji dutifully laid out their breakfasts. Shinji hummed cheerfully and sat down with them, his eyes looking elsewhere as the women eagerly devoured their meals.

"Mmmm... You're in a good mood," Misato commented. Shinji grinned and spread his hands wide, an exaggerated shrug.

"I'm going on a date today. How could I possibly be in a bad mood?"

Asuka paused in her eating, and gave Shinji a guarded look. While she had not been as openly angry with him (especially with the recent jump in her synch scores), she was still resentful over the coming date. Rei too stopped, and stared at Shinji with an emotionally detached expression.

"Starting off the date right is always a good way to begin," Misato said with a smile. "Though I'm surprised you're not fussing over how you look."

"I can do all of that in private," Shinji said, waving a hand negligently. "Confidence is the main thing right?"

"Exactly right," Misato confirmed. She leaned forward, her elbows supporting her as she looked at him with the same focus she gave to the shooting range. "Kaji tell you that?"

"Among other things," Shinji returned with a charming smile on his face. Misato snorted.

"Just try not to use that charming act so easily. Its how he turned into such a rake," she said flatly. Shinji gave her a sincere look.

"Relax Misato. I won't be turning any girls into sex slaves. You've already got my leash," he tugged at the collar of his shirt. Misato laughed.

"And don't you forget it."

"Yes Mistress," Shinji said in a faux-exasperated voice.

"And I expect a nice, deep massage in return for letting you go out with this other girl."

"You shameless shotacon," Asuka growled. Misato smirked.

"I'm sorry; would you like to get a massage too? Or perhaps, a lapdance?" She wiggled her eyebrows, and Asuka huffed angrily, red staining her cheeks. She glared at Shinji.

"You had better behave yourself! Don't go forcing yourself on that bimbo!"

"Yes Mistress," Shinji repeated dutifully. Asuka blushed again and growled, but did nothing else save clench her fists. He got up, breakfast finished. "I'm going into the city, check out a few things. I've got my phone if you need me."

"Not even going to let me meet her?" Misato whined. Shinji grinned and winked.

"I'd prefer to wait before chasing her away," he teased back. He ducked into the other room before Misato's napkin could hit him. Misato sat back and laughed softly. She looked between Asuka and Rei, both of whom had not said a word during the entire exchange.

"... I'm going to take Wondergirl here out shopping," Asuka said after a pause. "And get her a futon. She's not sharing Shinji's bed any longer."

"I am content where I am," Rei said, "but I am willing to go shopping."

"Good," Asuka said. She rose, carelessly dumping her plate into the sink. Rei followed suit, and the two girls left for their rooms. Misato sighed quietly.

"Teenagers," she mumbled. "Glad I missed out on _that_stage."

PenPen waddled up to Misato. She looked at him curiously.

"Something wrong?"

PenPen pointed to Misato's beer. The purple-haired woman laughed.

"At this rate, we'll both apply for AA," Misato chided her pet gently. PenPen warked in what sounded like an affronted tone. Misato chuckled and got up, procuring a beer for him.

"Denial's not a healthy thing for penguins either," she said. Penpen huffed, and waddled back to his fridge. Misato smiled a bit, and then went to get ready for work herself.

* * *

Shinji found himself wandering Tokyo-3's downtown, his eyes scanning for any significant differences. Aside from school, home and NERV he hadn't been allowed anywhere particularly interesting. He suspected Misato might have been acting overly protective. That or she was ordered to keep him under surveillance.

_Prudent. Mine would do the same thing,_Shinji thought. He suspected something other than his well being was the main priority here.

Four days had passed. Not a word from Dr. Akagi or from his father about what he'd searched for or how he was acting. They probably knew he wasn't from this universe by now, after looking over Unit 01. So what were they waiting for? It was killing him, not knowing what he was in for.

They needed him to pilot Unit 01, he knew that. That didn't mean he was free and clear.

_I feel like a lab rat under glass,_he thought flatly. He stopped by a bridge and closed his eyes, focusing. To anyone watching, he would just be taking a rest in the shade-The sun was beating down pretty hard this early in the morning.

At the edge of his consciousness, like a memory that always stayed just out of reach, he could feel _it_: Hundreds of meters below in its cage, mostly silent. Even shut-down Evas, however, had mental activity going on just beneath the surface.

This far away Shinji couldn't make out much from Unit 01. Even when you were capable of a ninety-percent synch rate, distance was a factor. Ritsuko had tried to explain it using quantum dimensional aperture analysis or something like that, but Shinji was no scientist. All he knew was that sometimes, if he focused, he could sense his Evangelion.

It wasn't much, but it was comforting to know it was still there.

Not that it would let him _do_anything-His Eva was little more than a giant paperweight without a pilot. It couldn't move on it's own.

_So I'm just reaching out for my hundred foot tall teddy bear,_he thought wryly.

"Shinji? Shinji!"

Shinji opened his eyes and looked to his right. Mana ran up to him, clad in a lovely white sundress. She came to a stop, panting slightly with a smile.

"It's good to see you!"

"Same! What are you doing here?" Shinji asked.

"I was shopping for some new shoes," she took his arm as though she had been familiar with him for years, "but since you're here, we can start the date early." Mana gave Shinji a little grin. "Unless you have any objections?"

Shinji shook his head, feeling better already. "Not a one."

"So, did you have any plans for us?" Mana asked. Shinji thought about it.

"Well, I thought we could go to the zoo-There's a traveling one, it has all sorts of animals that were common from before the Impact. Then dinner."

"That sounds lovely," Mana said. "But..."

"But?" Shinji asked. Mana looked at him with a nervous smile, like a child hiding a secret desire.

"But... Well... You're with NERV, right?"

Shinji nodded. "Yeah..."

"Would it be possible for you to take us... Into the Geofront?" She asked. Shinji blinked, thought about it... And smiled. He reached for his phone.

"I don't know... But I'm willing to find out."

* * *

"... Due to manufacturing codes present on the polyceramics that make up Unit 01's armor we can conclude they were created utilizing a nanoweave fabrication technique that only recently became available in our world..."

Gendo Ikari sat behind the desk in his office as Dr. Akagi gave her weekly report. Fuyutsuki stood to the side, ever present. Gendo knew better than to take it as a sign of loyalty to him-The old man simply preferred to be up to speed. Even on minute details.

"... The internal skeleton has a few differences, indicating they figured out a way to replace bones within the Evangelion without invasive surgery. How is unknown, however..."

_Especially minute details..._This was supposed to be Fuyutsuki's job, not his.

_So why did you agree to it?_A treacherous part of his mind asked. Gendo ignored it, and attempted to find a reason to care about the contents of the briefing. They were nothing he couldn't find out for himself.

Besides, such information _might_have been relevant several Angels ago. Now they were in the latter stages of the Scenario. Everything was plotted out to the last detail. There was no turning back.

"... The modular armor system is much easier to modify than our own, we're sending the specs out quietly for analysis by the MAGI in Tokyo-2..."

There was no turning back for him. Not now... So why did his thoughts drift to that other Gendo Ikari? The one who had raised that Shinji? The one who had married again?

"... Interfaces are about the same, just an upgrade or two ahead in our own schedule..."

The one who was preventing Third Impact. The one who had married again. Didn't Yui matter to him at all? Didn't her wishes factor into his decisions at all? What was he _doing?_

"Is there anything relevant to our current situation, Doctor Akagi?" Gendo finally interrupted. Ritsuko paused, and hesitated very slightly.

"No."

"Then I suggest you return to your job," Gendo said. His lover stared at him for a few moments, before nodding. She turned and walked out of the office, never breaking her stride. The doors shut behind her before Gendo spoke again.

"You insisted she speak at length on this, didn't you?"

"What possible motive would I have to do that?" Fuyutsuki asked, turning to look out the window. Gendo narrowed his eyes, staring at the far wall.

"To twist the knife."

Fuyutsuki chuckled.

"You're becoming paranoid in your old age, Ikari. I follow procedure, you know that."

"Don't give me that bullshit, Sensei," Gendo said. "You _enjoyed_that."

Fuyutsuki looked back over his shoulder. "You use the past tense, Ikari," he said with a small smile. "You should know better."

"So this is what you are reduced to?" Gendo asked.

Fuyutsuki turned and walked once more to Gendo's side. He knelt down to eye level, even as Gendo's gaze never left the far wall.

"If you were not bothered by it, Ikari, I would not do it," Fuyutsuki said.

Gendo's fingers tightened in front of his face. "We do _not_have time for this-"

Fuyutsuki moved his hand to Gendo's desktop computer controls, and pressed a button. The screen came to life, showing a picture of Saeko Katsuragi with accompanying biographical data.

"No. But it would occupy your thoughts whether I did it or not." Fuyutsuki stood back up and looked down on Gendo, every inch the disapproving professor. "So who should be reminding whom?"

Gendo was silent. The phone rang. Gendo checked the caller ID. When Fuyutsuki also saw it, he turned and headed for the doors.

"Where are-?"

"Business to attend to. Very important," Fuyutsuki said. He glanced over his shoulder for a parting shot. "Say hello to Shinji for me." The dark doors closed on his smiling face.

_Bastard._

The phone rang again. Gendo's hands rested on the desk. He continued to stare at the caller ID as the phone rang insistently once more.

_I have too much to do... I have no need to answer his call,_ Gendo thought. _He probably knows I am not his father. This is not his world. I have no reason to speak to him. No reason to-_

He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear.

"Yes."

_"Hey Dad. Sorry this is short notice, but I was wondering if I could get your permission to take my date into the Geofront."_

Gendo closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them.

"Provided she passes the background check, yes." Gendo answered.

Shinji chuckled knowingly. It unnerved Gendo only a moment.

_"Which you've already had done. Come on Dad. Don't delegate with me. I know how you are."_

His grip on the receiver tightened. Gendo took in a deep breath.

"... Quite."

He could know so much more about him than he had ever revealed. This Shinji was comfortable around Gendo, as though they held almost no secrets.

_"Does she pass?"_

Of course she passed. She was the daughter of NERV's Special Financial Director. There was nothing in the Geofront at the moment that could be considered remotely top secret. Ryoji was currently out there tending his watermelons. His loyalties were questionably to himself but he could be counted on to be curious enough about Kirishima and to care enough about Shinji to keep an eye out. To say nothing of Section 2's ever present eyes.

_"If it helps, I promise to look after her myself,"_ Shinji said. _"You can trust me Dad."_

"... Do as you wish," Gendo finally spoke.

_"Thank you Dad. I love you."_

The receiver clicked off. Gendo slowly lowered it and placed it back in its cradle. He turned to look out upon the Geofront. The Geofront his son and his date would soon be going through.

_Not my son. The Third._

"_Commander, it's time for the appointment you asked me to remind you of."_

Gendo started for a moment at the voice of his secretary over the intercom, but easily regained his composure. He turned away from the window and confirmed the appointment, then gave his secretary the rest of the day off. It would keep her from wondering about it any more than she had to.

A small smile came to his face as he rose. This was what he was waiting for. If all went well, he would be able to send him back where he came from and hopefully retrieve his own Third. The disruption to the scenario would cease.

He would no longer have to wonder.

* * *

_**ROOK**_

__T + 4 Days

* * *

"... So throughout the rest of the day, Asmoedus will be involved in flight testing. Eidolon Morrigan will serve as the chase unit and monitor it. Asuka will be in overall command of the training mission, and has already made it to the mobile command post there." Misato turned from the projected flight plan and looked around the briefing room. She smiled at the assembled staff and pilots. Shinji could barely muster the will to look in her general direction, but it was always something in her voice that gave away her smile.

"Meanwhile, Ritsuko informs me that we've finished the refit of Unit 01. We'll commence the reactivation test 00 will be on standby." She looked around. "I expect a pretty leisurely day but don't drop your guard. SEELE's been stepping up operations in the Southern Pacific and frankly I don't want to take any chances that this is a diversion for something directed at us." The colonel placed her hands on the desk in front of her and looked intently at everyone. Her gaze lingered on Shinji.

"Shinji? You feeling up to this?" She asked. Shinji slowly raised his eyes, and shrugged. Next to him, Rei looked concerned. In one of the other seats Touji and Hikari cast looks at him as well. All this focus on him... All this concern and worry for him... He looked down at his hands.

"... I'm fine," he said softly. Misato slowly nodded.

"Right. Well, like I said, keep your eyes open. Being caught flatfooted would be pretty embarrassing. More for you, given I'm never embarrassing," she said with a little pose.

"Just for your pilots," Ritsuko commented dryly. Misato shot her a pout as snickering filled the briefing room.

"Very funny," she said flatly. She looked around. "You know your duties, and I'm sure you'll carry them out as well as always. Dismissed."

Everyone slowly rose to go, as did Shinji, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see Misato had come to stand by him as she watched the rest of the pilots and staff leave. Ritsuko and Maya gave her curious looks as they left, but Misato's expression never changed. Ritsuko sighed and motioned for Maya to follow, which she dutifully did. The doors slid shut behind them.

Shinji looked back down at his lap. Misato scooted past him and sat down next to him. She placed her arm around his shoulders, and he found himself unconsciously leaning into her warmth.

"Shinji... What's wrong?" She asked.

"... They..." Shinji closed his eyes as his fists clenched. "They want to send me back."

"Back?" Misato stiffened for a moment. Shinji looked at her face. She stared back at him, and after a few moments, a flash of realization crossed her face.

"You mean... Back where you came from?" Misato asked. Shinji slowly nodded, and looked at the blank projector screen ahead.

"Yeah..."

Misato let out a sigh. She muttered something that sounded vaguely like "Star Trek" to Shinji, before she took hold of his chin and turned his face to hers.

"Shinji... I know it doesn't seem fair but the fact of the matter is-"

"I don't belong here," Shinji interrupted with a low, angry voice. "I'm not the _right_Shinji. I'm not the one everyone loves. I'm the one who's just an Eva pilot, nothing more... I'm the one who... Who's supposed to end the world." He closed his eyes tightly, taking deep breaths through his nose. Misato wrapped her other arm around him and held him tightly.

"Shinji..."

"It's not fair... All I am to them is a weapon, a tool... My own father wants me to cause Third Impact, kill everyone there." Shinji's heartbeat increased again. "Asuka doesn't care about me... Rei doesn't care about me... The Misato there, she doesn't care... I can't go back." He looked up at Misato. "And-And I can't pilot while I'm here. You're asking me to-to protect this world, but to go die with my own? How can you do that to me?"

"Shinji..."

"Please... Why do I have to go?" He pleaded.

Misato was silent for a long time, before she stood up and took his hand.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Confused, Shinji allowed himself to be lead by Misato down various hallways of NERV. The facility was a maze to him in either universe, but even he had been able to navigate successfully. Here, he was truly entering unknown territory.

They stopped at an elevator and entered it. Misato turned and slipped her ID card through the reader, which beeped in recognition.

"Authorize access to Terminal Dogma," she ordered. A laser flashed out from the touchscreen controls of the elevator, and the formally blue interface turned red.

_"Identity confirmed. Transiting,"_a pleasant female voice answered.

The elevator headed down, rapidly descending past the basement levels. Shinji watched it's progress, feeling very confused.

"Where are we going?" Shinji asked.

"You'll see," Misato said quietly. The elevator dropped down, and Shinji was able to see through the transparent glass walls as their surroundings became darker and redder. His eyes widened as they descended underneath what seemed like an ocean of LCL, as massive, organic looking structures stretched around them in a vast abyss. It was like being inside a gigantic human body, and a faint wave of nausea went through him.

"What... What is all this?" Shinji asked worriedly. The elevator's surroundings became stark metal walls again, before it came to a stop. The doors opened out onto a dark, circular hallway, red light glowing underneath a raised walkway. Misato led him into the hallway, walking briskly while never letting go of his hand. Her stride never changed, but he got the impression she was charging onwards.

They soon arrived at a gigantic double door, easily twice their combined height. A cardreader was on the side, and Shinji could see hints of massive hydraulics peeking out between the armor plating that constituted the walls. Misato slid her card here once more, and the hydraulics began to move. The doors came to life with a loud groan, as various screw locks ground against their casings. The doors opened, and Shinji's eyes widened as his jaw dropped.

Pinned to a massive red cross that was planted in the center of a vast lake of LCL was a gigantic white figure Vaguely humanoid in shape, it was as big as an Eva if not bigger. Its lower extremities were moving, and with a bit of revulsion Shinji realized that they were _limbs_. Human limbs waving about like drowning victims trying to get someone's attention.

In the chest of the great being, a two-pronged spear was buried. And on its face was a metal mask with various lines in nonsensical script written all over it.

"What is _that?_" Shinji whispered. He felt like his voice should lower around this thing, as though it might hear him even without ears.

"This is Lillith, the Second Angel," Misato said softly. "You're looking at the origin of all life on this planet... And the means by which it could all end. In your world, and ours. If an Angel ever got down here, there are six one hundred megaton warheads surrounding this chamber rigged to go off at our command."

Shinji started at this and stared at Misato in shock. Misato smiled almost sadly.

"Shinji... I don't know a lot about your world, but would your Misato be willing to do the same thing if it came right down to it?"

"I... I don't know," Shinji said quietly. Misato placed her hand over his quickly beating heart.

"I think you know she would, Shinji," Misato said softly. "Not everyone is capable of expressing how much they care about someone, no matter how much they might feel it inside. I have the feeling that you are very special to your Misato, your Rei... Even your Asuka."

Shinji looked away. "But... How will I know if they don't tell me?"

"You can't always know, Shinji," Misato said. She raised a hand to her cross and squeezed it. "But living... Living requires more than knowing. It requires having a little faith."

"Faith? In what? God?" Shinji asked flatly.

"No... Faith in yourself, and the people around you," Misato said softly.

Shinji looked at her for a moment, then back out into the massive chamber. "I... I don't know if I can have that... If no one wants me, if no one needs me except for Eva-"

"Of course they want you," Misato said sharply. "They want you for you, and need you for Eva. There's a critical difference! Without you, Unit 01 can't fight. Without you, there is no one who can stop the Angels or SEELE. Without you, everyone you know will die! Everyone who cares for you!"

"Nobody would believe me if I told them about any of this!" Shinji said. "What can I do? I'm just a boy!"

Misato pulled him into a tight hug. She looked down at him.

"In the end though... You are your world's only hope, Shinji," Misato said. "You can't just run away from that."

Shinji started, and stared at her with a look of disbelief. He then frowned and looked away.

"... I never wanted any of it. I didn't get to choose," Shinji said.

"No. You didn't. But nobody else did either," Misato said. "All you can choose is what to do now. What do you want?"

"... I don't want to go back there," Shinji said. "Not after seeing this. But I can't choose that, can I?"

Misato exhaled softly and ran a hand through his hair. "Shinji... I promise you we will find a way that you can be happy. You have my word." She smiled at him. "And if you need clarity, please know this." She kissed his forehead, making him blush. "I love you dearly, and I'm sure the other Misato does too."

Shinji blushed brightly, his eyes were still averted, but he hugged Misato back nevertheless. Misato hugged him back tightly, resting her chin on the top of his head.

_"Ibuki to Major Katsuragi!"_

Misato sighed, and reached out to press the button for the intercom embedded in the wall nearby. "Katsuragi, go."

_"Major, we've got a problem. Definite Blue Pattern recognition coming from the testing area,"_Maya reported.

Misato's eyes widened, as did Shinji's.

"We'll be right there."

_"Yes ma'am."_

* * *

_Well… I kind of lied about the action last time. That's what you get when you take a Creative Writing class, urgh. All this "use said not any other description words for speech" or "more showing not telling" and "don't judge my love of '60s whiny adolescent bullshit short stories, man". Pah. _

_Oh well. I can at least definitely promise action next time since now I've run out of talky bits. Here's an omake written by gunman for last chapter which is… Well, not canon to me but might be canon to you._

OMAKE:

Shinji blinked his eyes open and stared up at the unfamiliar ceiling.  
"Another unfamiliar ceiling." he muttered.  
"Well, it is the first time you've ended up in the infirmary." a familiar voice said.  
Shinji turned to his side and saw a familiar pair of red eyes staring back at him.  
"Rei." Shinji said softly, right as his eyes opened wide, remembering what had happened only a little while ago. "Rei!" he shouted, sitting up quickly. "Oh god! I...I'm sorry, I... I... Argh!"  
"Don't move so quickly, Shinji-kun." Rei said, sitting up and holding him tightly. "Your injury isn't severe, but you aren't fully recovered yet."  
"I... wha... how did... oh god! I'm Sorry, Rei! I'm so sorry!"  
"For what?"  
"For... falling into the shower room where you and the others were showering." he said with shame in his voice.  
"If you wanted to wash us shower, you only had to ask." Rei said, causing Shinji to blush even more. "But why were you peeking in on us?" she asked.  
Just then Asuka came in.  
"I'd like to know that too!" the redhead said, before turning to Rei. "And at least you had enough restraint to not strip the both of you down naked before you got into bed with him."  
Rei just stuck her tongue out at the German girl.  
"Well, out with it Shinji. I'd like to know how you found your way into our shower room." Asuka said, sitting down on the bed.  
At first Shinji would have backed away, but Asuka didn't seem to have an upset expression on her face, so Shinji just answered her.  
"Kensuke and I were running track. He wanted me to talk to my fath... the commander, about trying to get him his own Eva. He said he wanted to be a pilot to impress Adeola. Anyway, I kinda tripped over his feet and hit my face on the track. He volunteered to take me to the nurses office. But when we got between the gym and the nurses office, Kensuke insisted we hope this fence and... he pointed out this one particular window. Insisted that we look into it. I didn't know what was so important, but when we did..." he explained, pausing and blushing heavily.  
"You saw us all showering." Asuka said.  
"Yes. I'm sorry." Shinji said, humility and shame in his voice.  
"For what?"  
"Huh?"  
"What are you sorry for? For peeking in on us, or falling through the window, landing hard, and getting caught?"  
"Yes." he stated, shame still in his voice.  
Rei and Asuka looked at each other, slightly confused.  
"Well... at least you didn't do it on purpose."  
Shinji's head shot up, his face full of shock and confusion.  
"You believe me?" he asked.  
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"  
"Well... it... most people wouldn't. They'd just assume I was some kind of peeping tom and punch my lights out."  
Asuka and Rei looked at each other in confusion once again.  
"Well... normally we would have accused you of that, had Aida not confessed to leading you to that window instead of taking you to the nurses office like he was supposed to." Rei said.  
"You caught Kensuke?" Shinji asked.  
"Adeola caught him." Asuka said.  
"Hunted him down actually." Rei stated.  
"She figured that he had something to do with you being at the window, so we went looking for him. After that it was a simple matter to get him to confess. He even admitted that he intentionally tripped you so that he'd have an excuse to go peeping in on us." Asuka said.  
"His lack of morals is another reason he was not chosen for the Eva program." Rei explained.  
"Is it really that bad?" Shinji asked.  
"He intentionally injured you and used you for his own perverted purposes."  
"I'm sorry. I should have realized he was up to something when he made me climb that fence." Shinji said.  
"Stop apologizing, Shinji!" Asuka snipped. "You didn't do anything wrong, other than listening to that idiot!"  
"And besides..." Rei said sensually, climbing closer to Shinji. "...I have a question to ask you."  
"Yes?" Shinji asked, nervousness in his voice.  
"Which one of us did you like better?"  
"REI!" Asuka snapped.  
"What? It's a simple question." the bluenette said.  
"Not. The. Point." Asuka declared.  
"Shinji, answer!" Rei said to the blushing boy.  
"I... I can't!" he said.  
"Why not?" Asuka asked, curious now.  
"Because... if I said which of you I liked better... I'd end up hurting one of you." Shinji said with a rather desperate tone in his voice.  
A tone that the girls did not catch.  
"Okay. I can accept that." Asuka said.  
"Me too." Rei added.  
Rei leaned in and kissed Shinji on the cheek.  
Shinji blushed.  
"I think I like you better this way, Shinji-kun." Rei said.  
"R-Really? Why?" Shinji asked, confused.  
"Yeah, why?" Asuka asked.  
"Because... it's like getting to know him all over again." Rei said to Asuka, then turned to Shinji. "It's like... helping you become better, like you helped us."


End file.
